Limoges/ American Limoges of Sebring |
Sebring Ohio Historical Society 126 North 15th Street Sebring, Ohio 44672 330-938-6920 |
Back stamps all include the work Limoges. By 1946, more likely to be called American Limoges. Frequently has the name of the pattern and/or number on stamp. Marks are numerous for this company: American Limoges, Sebring, Ohio, Limoges of Sebring, American Limoges on a shield and Candle Light above the shield. Triumph/AmericanLimoges/Sebring, Ohio, Peach Blow by Limoges, Limoges China, Limoges/USA/Cina Company |
Looking for more space, the Limoges China Company was founded in 1900 in Sebring, Ohio on East Georgia Ave. Formerly Sterling China, the name was very shortly changed again to the Limoges China Company as the Sebring China Company also already existed. F.A. Sebring started the company in order to create thin porcelain products like they were available in Europe. They created mostly semi-vitreous pieces. A trained superintendent from Central Europe and materials necessary to produce thin china were imported, at great expense. A devastating fire destroyed ambitions three years later. The ceramics expert died, and all records, formulas and most of the equipment were gone. Rebuilt by Evis Sebring, and managed by Frank's brother Fred, Limoges began producing earthenware and semi-porcelain and used decals rather than hand painting methods. The one-story plant site covered ten and one half acres, with 125,000 square feet of working space. They had the first industrial ceramic laboratory with graduate ceramic engineers in charge. They developed one of the first of the tunnel kilns, replacing the old periodic 'beehive' type of kilns, which had been in use for hundreds of years, and revolutionized dinnerware. They were also among the first to use the services of a full time artist and designer to originate and create a line of American ware. Limoges ended the belief that only English raw materials could be used, and showed that American raw materials was equal or superior to other earthenware products. They operated under this name until the late 1940's when they were threatened with a lawsuit by the Limoges Company in France. This was due, once again, to their use of a name, in this case Limoges, which was already in use by an established company. At that time, they started to call their products American Limoges and the name was changed to the American Limoges China Company. They also occasionally used the name Lincoln China Company. In the 1940's, the well known designer Victor Schreckengost worked for them at times. He designed six scenes from Virginia done in blue, brown, mauve with a celadon rim and copper edge line. He also designed for the Salem China Company and the Sebring Pottery Company who were all under the same management as the Limoges China Company. Because of this, you can find duplication of patterns and designs made during this time by the different companies. Had the first Industrial ceramic lab. Very shortly into 1955, the American Limoges China Company went into bankruptcy and closed their doors. |