CALIFORNIA POTTERY INDEX - VINTAGE CALIFORNIA POTTERY, DINNERWARE, CERAMICS, FIGURINES - INCLUDING FRANCISCAN DINNERWARE

Franciscan Dinnerware

Franciscan Ware The Franciscan Dinnerware and China Company started up in 1875 as a sewer tile manufacturer. The company expanded slowly over a period of 60 years, partially by acquiring smaller pottery shops and partially by focusing on Southwest American fashions. In 1934, Franciscan started its famous line of dinnerware and opened up a large factory in Glendale, CA.
Throughout the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, Franciscan artists collaborated to create truly dynamic and unique ceramic ware. Frederic and Mary Grant, in particular, influenced the brand's designs.
Franciscan introduced something called California Style and helped to make Spanish name designs, like Montecito and Coronado, household names. In the early 1940s, Franciscan introduced arguably its two most famous lines of ceramics, Desert Rose and Apple. Desert Rose has been in production since 1941, and collectors from around the world pay high prices for original Desert Rose pieces. Franciscan Ivy was introduced in 1948. In the 1950s, Franciscan produced a number of classic patterns, including Starburst, Eclipse, and Modern. These pieces featured bright colors and reflected the spirit of the classic American West.
Franciscan Ware was the most-popular of the Gladding-McBean and Company trade names, and so warrants this separate listing. Other "GMcB" items will be found in the Gladding-McBean section. Many Franciscan lines are still in production although Gladding-McBean was acquired by Wedgwood in 1979 and the Pasadena plant closed in 1984.

Franciscan Dinnerware