If you love mid-century design and decor but are on a budget, check out some of the cool vintage pottery made in California. You will be pleasantly suprised at the selection and affordability.

Seriously, if you dig mid-century pottery but can't afford German or Italian-made pieces, check out the amazing selection available that were made by California potteries operating in the 1940's and 1950's. Sure, the quality isn't as great as the Italian and German, and many of the designs were borrowed from other makers, but nice pieces can be had on the cheap. We have this vase and matching bowl available for under $50. They were made by the Vee Jackson Pottery of San Gabriel and then Pasedena, California.

Available for purchase here

Why did ceramics and pottery manufacturers proliferate in California during the 20th century? Was it the climate, or the fact that so many people were there or headed to California anyway?Actually, it's several factors combined that resulted in more than 1,000 pottery companies setting up shop from San Diego to north of San Francisco. Among the possible reasons for California becoming a hotbed of pottery production:

• California has always attracted talented and ambitious artists and entrepreneurs
• The Panama-California International Exposition in San Diego in 1915 introduced Spanish-Moorish -style buildings and tile with geometric designs that were copied by existing and new potteries throughout California.
• In addition to European ethnic influences, California ceramists was influenced by Asian and Mexican art, design and culture, which was almost exclusive to California during that period. This resulted in inspired shapes and bright, beautiful colors never before seen in American pottery.
• The clay soil and talc from places like Death Valley and Alberhill in Riverside County provided abundant natural resources perfect for producing ceramics and pottery.

Like many industries, pottery companies established their roots in California. Many flourished, while others barely managed to stay afloat for a couple of years. At the beginning of the 20th century, several of the ceramic studios were n the more-established San Francisco area. But as Los Angeles drew attention worldwide for its sunny climate and booming movie industry, more pottery manufacturers flocked to Southern California. For natives, a glance through this list reveals pottery companies in nearly every Southern California suburb established before 1940.
Production of table, gift and art ware actually increased in California during World War II, as small studios popped up to fulfill the needs of an industry that cut off imported goods from Europe and Asia. It was after the war that many of the smaller studios had to close their doors, especially when import embargos were lifted. (Courtesy about.com)

A website we use all the time to help identify suspected California-made pottery is http://www.calpotteries.com . It lists hundreds of potteries and even give a bit of info on each one. Many on the list also include examples of the companies work. This is an information only no values.

Here is how Potteries of California describe their website.

Potteries of California is a personal fan site, blog and photo archive for California Pottery. We hope that it will eventually also function as a meeting and discussion place for other fans and collectors. In addition, we will attempt to organize the site so that it will function as a limited reference guide.
We would like to stress that we have only been “collecting” for a very short time compared to many. There is a very good chance that you have a much more impressive collection of vintage pottery made in California. So what led us to consider working on this site?
Well, we are avid thrift store and flea market shoppers. In the past, we had mostly looked for Pyrex and other kitchen glassware. But recently we’ve become enamored of pottery and ceramics - specifically those colorful wares made during the mid-century pottery boom in California. And since we’ve lived most of our lives in Southern California, it’s rather fun to research this type of pottery because it was actually produced here. Some of the original company plants and potteries still stand today.
What we have found is that there were literally HUNDREDS (some say thousands) of different potteries in California. While there are some really excellent books out there, it’s nearly impossible for them to talk about ALL the lesser known potteries (although Jack Chipman’s books do cover many of them). Some of the smaller ones are given only 2-3 lines of text and 1 picture (if at all). It’s just not feasible with the limited space of a hardbound book.
So, that is going to be the main focus of the site. We’ll try and discuss and share pictures and information about those lesser known (or even unknown) Potteries of California. It’s going to be a sort of fun “trial and error” type of discovery, since the information on these smaller makers is so limited.
Athough some discussion of the bigger names (Bauer, Catalina, Metlox, Vernon, Franciscan, Pacific, Schoop, etc.) is inevitable, we won’t spend as much time trying to catalog everything - that’s already been done in other books. Please don’t be offended if your favorite pottery company is not listed on the site yet - if you’d really like it to be, then we could use some help writing some original text (not copied from a book) about the company that you collect. (all photos courtesy calpotteries)


California pottery is fun to collect and search for at thrift stores, flea markets and second hand stores. Like anything, condition and rarity are what matters. Save your money and buy a perfect piece rather than buying damaged stuff because it is less expensive. You will be much happier in the long run.

Red Wing Pottery Co., Red Wing, Minnesota (1877-1967)

The upper Midwest is a great source for finding pottery and stoneware from the Red Wing Pottery Co. of Red Wing, Minnesota. Everyone that has been in the antique collecting hobby or the antique business has either owned or recognizes Red Wing and its distinctive mark.

The company website shares a brief history of the company.
"Along time ago amongst the bluffs west of the Mississippi River just above Lake Pepin, the Dakotah spent their summers hunting and fishing. French Voyageurs first visited in 1680. Nearly 200 years later, the first European settlers came to live beside the mighty river. They were greeted by one of the greatest chiefs of the Dakotah Nation. He gave his friendship to the settlers, and his name to their settlement – Red Wing. The land around Red Wing was rich with clay. In 1861 a German immigrant named John Paul discovered a rich pocket of clay on the land that he intended to farm. A potter by trade, he used this clay to make the first Red Wing stoneware.

After Paul came Philleo Pottery, established in the heart of Red Wing in 1868, followed by Hallem Pottery. Both went out of business – the former destroyed by fire, the latter by the drastic price cutting of established eastern competitors. It was in 1877 that the Redwing Stoneware Company
forerunner of today’s famous Red Wing Stoneware and Pottery was established. 
The company supplied farmers with stoneware crocks and jugs for food and beverage storage. As our young country grew and the Industrial Revolution took people off the farms and brought them together in towns and cities, health concerns prompted the development of sewer systems. The Red Wing Sewer Pipe Company met the great need for ceramic sewer pipes. Two other companies were formed just before the turn of the century, Northstar Stoneware and Minnesota Stoneware. By 1906 one company had gone out of business and the other three companies combined as the Redwing Union Stoneware Company.
With changing times, and especially the invention of the refrigerator, the old stoneware crocks and jugs were no longer needed. In 1913 the first refrigerators were invented for home use, although the cost was out of the reach of most people (one 1922 refrigerator cost $714, compared to $450 for a Model-T Ford).

At this point, Red Wing Union Stoneware Company began producing flower pots and vases, then luncheon and dinnerware, and a wide variety of art pottery. In 1936 the name was changed to Redwing Potteries."

Another interesting written history is furnished by Pottery Place Antiques. They also furnished the historic photographs used in this post. 

"Red Wing Pottery has a rich place in Minnesota history.  The first known potter in the area came to Red Wing in 1861 and settled on what later became the Red Wing clay pits.  John Paul, a German potter, produced pottery from his wheel for 10 years.  In 1871, he moved to Shakopee and became a brick mason.  Red Wing Terra Cotta Works, under Wm. M. Philleo began producing pottery  and architectural terra cotta during the 1860's.  Red Wing Stoneware Company sprung up in 1877 and quickly earned a name for producing quality stoneware. Later, Minnesota Stoneware Company appeared on the scene in Red Wing in 1883 and in 1892 North Star Stoneware Company began.  Each of these companies were built using the latest technology and were soon able to mass produce the stoneware.  However, the 1890's brought a severe economic down swing and left each of the three companies having to periodically shut down and cut down.  In 1894, Union Stoneware Company was born as the sales outlet for all three companies.  Northstar Stoneware Company, being the newest and least known, could not compete and ended up shutting its doors in 1896.  By 1900, prosperity had returned and by 1906 Red Wing Stoneware, Minnesota Stoneware, and Union Stoneware Company merged to become the Red Wing Union Stoneware Company. 

The processes for making the pottery changed as the industrial revolution provided more and more opportunities for mechinization.  Hand turning was totally abandoned by 1917 and all but jug handles were molded or pressed by machine.   Red Wing Stoneware became the leading producer of stoneware in the world.  However, the industry would change in the next few decades  for several reasons.  First, the rich clay fields needed for the stoneware were limited, and secondly, with the development of refrigeration and plastic food containers, the need for stoneware would diminish and disappear.  The company positioned itself to make way for these changes;  kitchenware and art pottery began to be produced which could be made from other clay.  By 1936, the focus was more on the art pottery and the beginnings of  producing dinnerware; thus the name changed to Red Wing Potteries Inc.  By the end of WWII, the stoneware industry had died.  Red Wing Potteries then began designing many more dinnerware patterns and various lines of art pottery.  These products became very popular and the company flourished.  However, by the 1960's, foreign competition and changing tastes were creating a down turn in the Red Wing pottery business.  In 1967, after a brief workers' strike, the company closed its doors forever".

The photos of examples of Red Wing are courtesy of The Red Wing Collectors Society.

An area of Red Wing collecting that is really hot right now is of advertising crocks. These held butter and were made and marked for the individual dairy or store. Prices are going through the roof. Procks Crocks and Antiques has some great examples.

Hazel Home Art and Antiques sold a pretty rare piece of Red Wing in 2014. This is a small toothpick or match holder with a gopher climbing on an old stump. Remember, Minnesota is the home of the Golden Gophers. This piece was made for the RTDA of St. Paul in 1938. I believe it was a Polish benevolent association that was connected to a Lutheran or Catholic church. Anyway, this piece was well-marked and had a few rub-throughs on the brown glaze but a collector snapped it up pretty quickly.