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In 1894 Wilder Pickard founded the Pickard company in Chicago. The firm's specialty was
producing hand decorated china. Plain white porcelain blanks were purchased from French
or other European manufacturers because Pickard did not manufacture porcelain initially.
There were numerous other decorating companies producing at that time, but Pickard was
recognized as being one of the finest.
Indeed, many of the decorators at Pickard were truly fine artists. The plates, bowls,
pitchers and other objects created were typically beautiful hand painted florals. Each
of these pieces is a small work of art, most of which are signed by the talented artists
who painted them.
The other ware for which Pickard is very well known is the all over gold decorated
pieces. The most popular one is the "Rose and Daisy" pattern, but other all over
gold patterns were made as well. This line of accessory pieces was introduced in
1915 and continues to be made today. Although place pieces like plates and cups
and saucers were made, the most popular pieces have always been the small nut and
relish dishes, salt and peppers and creamer and sugar sets.
In 1930, the Pickard factory made the decision that it no longer wished to rely on
outside sources for the porcelain blanks that were needed. An addition was made to
the plant, and after more than seven years of experimentation and test production,
the first Pickard made porcelain was ready for the market. A new plant was built
in Antioch, Illinois for a larger scale production porcelain works and remains there
today.
Since the old artist painted pieces were only made through the first part of the
20th century, these vintage pieces are highly collectible and Pickard collectors
have driven prices up for them accordingly. In addition to the all over gold ware,
Pickard makes a full line of fine china patterns today. The U.S. Department of
State selected Pickard to make the official service of china used in all American
embassies around the world, and Pickard is also the official china of Air Force One.
Sources
Lehner's Encyclopedia of U.S. Marks on Pottery, Porcelain & Clay. Lois Lehner,1988.
Collector Books, Paducah, KY.
Pickard China Co. website
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