California pottery includes industrial, commercial, and decorative pottery produced in the Northern California and Southern California regions of the U.S. state of California. Production includes brick, sewer pipe, architectural terra cotta, tile, garden ware, tableware, kitchenware, art ware, figurines, giftware, and ceramics for industrial use. Ceramics include terra cotta, earthenware, porcelain, and stoneware products.
Key milestones in the history of California pottery include: the arrival of Spanish settlers, the advent of statehood and subsequent population growth, the arts and crafts movement, Great Depression, World War II era and the post-WWII onslaught of low-priced imports leading to a steep decline in the number of California potteries. California potters large and small have left a legacy of tableware design, collectibles, art, and architecture.
Tile has been a favorite building material in California since the early Spanish settled the area and brought with them the tradition of using brightly colored tiles in architecture. Helen Stiles, author of numerous books on the history of pottery, noted that Spanish, Mexican, and Chinese design of the 17th and 18th centuries all influenced the decoration of tile and other pottery in California.[1]
As people moved into California after statehood in 1848, the demand for ceramic products grew exponentially. Buildings needed roofs, floors, and sewer pipes. The ceramic industry grew as the demand increased. The "Golden Era in tile making" and art pottery, influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, was around 1910. Architect Julia Morgan used tiles to adorn her buildings, including the Hearst Castle in the 1920s.
The most active period for the production of household ceramics including tableware, kitchenware, giftware, and art ware was from the 1930s through the 1960s. The major area of U.S. household ceramics production was in the Los Angeles basin. Around Los Angeles there were over 300 producers of figurines. Next in size was the Trenton area, followed by East Liverpool, and a few in the middle west, such as Ceramic Arts Studio, Red Wing Pottery and Haeger Potteries.[2]
The period around World War II saw the greatest growth for the U.S. ceramic industry. With imports cut off from European and Asian markets, small family-owned and larger potteries stepped in to fill the need for ceramic giftware and tableware throughout the United States. By 1948, "the peak year for the industry, over eight hundred ceramic concerns were in operation throughout California."With sunlight year round, an abundance of raw materials, and relatively inexpensive natural gas, California became competitive with centers of ceramic production such as the "Pottery Capital of the World" East Liverpool, Ohio, and Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England.
In the 1950s, favorable trade agreements toward Asian countries contributed to a flood of competitively priced ceramic wares entering the United States market. Only a fraction of California potteries survived this competition through the early 1960s. As of 2023, only a few are still in business.
The "Big Five"[3] California potteries, from the 1930s to the 1960s in reference to the range of products and output, were Vernon Kilns, J.A. Bauer Pottery, Metlox Potteries, Pacific Clay Products, and Gladding, McBean & Co. All of the "Big Five" potteries operated production facilities in the Los Angeles Basin. Gladding, McBean & Co. grew from one factory manufacturing sewer pipe and architectural terra cotta in Lincoln, California, to factories throughout California and the Pacific Northwest. Vernon Kilns closed in 1958, J.A. Bauer in 1962, and Metlox in 1988. The former Gladding, McBean & Co.'s Franciscan tableware and tile factory in Los Angeles was bought by Wedgwood from the Interpace corporation in 1979. Wedgwood closed the Franciscan Ceramics plant in 1984, moving production of the Franciscan tableware brands to England. The former Gladding, McBean & Co.'s Lincoln factory was purchased by Pacific Coast Building Products in 1976 and continues to produce sewer pipe, architectural terra cotta, and terra cotta garden ware. Pacific Clay Products discontinued manufacturing tableware, art ware, and figurines in 1942. Pacific Clay Products continues to manufacture sewer pipe.
To use the sortable tables: click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order.
| Pottery | Location(s) | Dates | Tradename(s) / Products | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1909–1962 | Flower pots, crocks, jugs, tableware, garden ware, & art ware | |||
| Gladding, McBean & Co., Lincoln plant (Interpace after 1962 and Pacific Coast Building Products after 1976)) | 1875–present | Sewer pipe, roof tiles, architectural terra cotta, paver tiles & garden ware | [4] | |
| Gladding, McBean & Co., Glendale plant (Interpace after 1962, and Franciscan Ceramics, Inc. after 1979) | Los Angeles | 1923–1984 | "Franciscan" "Catalina Pottery" tableware, kitchenware, art ware & "Hermosa" tile | |
| 1927–1988 | Tableware, giftware, kitchenware, cookie jars, figurines & art ware | [5] | ||
| Los Angeles | 1916–present | Sewer pipe. From 1932 to 1942: "Pacific Pottery" tableware, kitchenware, art ware & figurines. From 1943–present: brick & pavers | [6] | |
| 1931–1958 | Tableware, art ware, & figurines | [7] | ||
Geographically, see Northern California.
To use the sortable tables: click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order.
| Pottery | Location(s) | Dates | Tradename(s) / Products | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1911–1918 | [8] | |||
| Billie Vier | Berkeley | 1940s | Figurines | |
| California Art Tile Company (Cal Art) | 1923–1964 | |||
| California Faience (The Tile Shop before 1924) | 1915–1959 | Art pottery & tile | [9] | |
| California Pottery Company | 1873–1929 | Pipe, roof tile, utilitarian pottery, crockery, & garden ware | [10] | |
| California Ra-Art | 1930s | Art ware & figurines | ||
| Camp Del Mar Pottery | late 1940s-early 1950s | "Campo" tableware & art ware | ||
| Carnegie Brick and Pottery Company Pottery plant | Tesla, California | 1903-1911 | Figurines, art pottery, vases, urns, clay pipes | [11] |
| Chase Originals (Adele Chase) | Berkeley | 1930s-1950s | Art ware & figurines | |
| Environmental Ceramics, Inc. | San Francisco | 1960s | Kitchenware | [12] |
| Evans Ceramics Inc. | 1974- | |||
| 1902–1979 | Crockery, tableware, art ware, garden ware & kitchenware | [13] | ||
| Gladding Ceramic Insulator Company, Inc. | San Jose | 1924- | Tile. "Gladco" insulators after 1964 | |
| Sausalito | 1948–present | Tableware & art ware | ||
| Handcraft Tile (San Jose Tile before 1931) | 1926–present | Tile | ||
| Hans Sumpf Company | 1939–2006 | Garden ware & architectural wall surfaces | [14] | |
| Homer Knowles Pottery Company | 1923–1937 | "K.T.K" "K.T. and K." Art ware, restaurant ware, figurines & novelty giftware | ||
| 1950s-1960s | Art ware | |||
| Jam Ceramic Design | 1975-mid-1980s | Artware, tableware, figurines & giftware | ||
| Jane Fauntz | 1940s | Figurines | ||
| Jessie Grimes | 1940s | Figurines | ||
| Kay the Potter (Kay Kinney) | Berkeley | 1930s | Figurines & art ware | |
| Lagunita | Oakland | 1940s | Figurines | |
| Laurel Pottery and Manufacturing Company | Stockton | 1938–1962 | Flower pots, art ware & tableware | |
| Monterey Pottery | 1948-unknown | |||
| Mudflat Pottery | 1974-unknown | Cookie Jars, giftware, tableware & utilitarian ware | ||
| Muresque Tiles | 1925–1935 | Tile | ||
| Panama Pottery | 1914–present | Utility ware, flower pots, garden ware & art ware | [15] | |
| 1953–1980 | Art pottery | |||
| Ransgil Glass Co. | 1940s-50s | Gold-encrusted china and glassware | ||
| Red Doat | Berkeley | 1930s | Figurines | |
| Redlands Pottery | 1902–1909 | Art ware | ||
| Richenda Stevick | Redwood City, then Berkeley | 1930s | Figurines & art ware | |
| Roblin Art Pottery | San Francisco | 1898–1906 | Art pottery | [16] |
| San Carlos Pottery | late 1930s-late 1940s | Artware & figurines | ||
| San Jose Tile (Handcraft Tile after 1931) | 1926–1931 | Tile | [17] | |
| Sierra Vista Ceramics | 1942–1951 | Giftware, cookie jars & kitchenware | ||
| Solon and Schemmel Tile Company (S&S) | 1920–1936 | Tile | ||
| 1936–1950 | Art ware, giftware & figurines | |||
| Stockton Terra Cotta Company (Stockton Art Pottery after 1896) | 1890–1895 | Firebrick, sewer pipe & stove pipe & art pottery | ||
| Stockton Art Pottery (Stockton Brick and Pottery Company after 1901) | Stockton | 1896–1900 | Sewer pipe, brick & art pottery | |
| Stockton Brick and Pottery Company | Stockton | 1901-1902 | Sewer pipe & brick | |
| Stonelite | San Jose | unknown | Tile | |
| Strictly Stoneware | Capitola | unknown | Tableware | |
| Technical Porcelain and Chinaware Company (TEPCO) | 1922–1968 | |||
| Walrich Pottery | 1922–1930 | Art pottery, figurines & tile | ||
| Washburn | Berkeley | 1930s-1940s | Art ware | |
| West Coast Porcelain Manufacturers | 1920s | Sanitary ware & "California Porcelain" art ware | ||
| Woolenius Tile Company | Berkeley | 1927–1941 | Tile | |
Geographically, see Southern California.
To use the sortable tables: click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order.
| Pottery | Location(s) | Dates | Tradename(s) / Products | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acme Tile Company | 1925–1932 | ||||
| Adelle | 1940s | Art ware | |||
| Affiliated Craftsmen's Studio | Los Angeles | unknown | Planters | [18] | |
| Alhamhra Kilns, Inc. | Alhambra | 1920s- | Floor and roof tile | [19] | |
| Alberhill Coal and Clay Company | Alberhill (Riverside County) | 1882–1920 | Art pottery from 1910 to 1912 | ||
| Alexander Franzka | 1965-1987 | Figurines, art ware, gift ware, terra cotta | |||
| Alhambra Kilns, Inc. | 1926–1937 | Tile & roof tile | |||
| American Ceramic Products | Los Angeles, Santa Monica | 1939–1967 | "La Mirada" "Winfield" tableware, art ware, & figurines | [20] | |
| American China Company | Los Angeles | 1920s | Tile | ||
| American Encaustic Tiling Company (Gladding, McBean & Co. after 1933) | 1919–1933 | Tile | |||
| American Pottery | 1943–1953 | "Brad Keeler Art Ware" "American Pottery" giftware, art ware, & figurines | |||
| American Refractories Company | Los Angeles | unknown | Fire brick | ||
| Angulo Tile Company | Santa Barbara & Reseda | unknown | Floor & roof tile | ||
| Ann Crochran | early to mid-1950s | Art ware | |||
| Arcadia Ceramics | 1940s-1950s | Novelty giftware | |||
| Architectural Pottery | Los Angeles | 1950–1962 | Planters, ash trays | [21] | |
| Artistic Potteries Company | 1940s | Art ware, giftware & figurines | |||
| Atlas Fire Brick Company | Los Angeles | unknown | Fire brick | ||
| B.J. Brock (Southern California Pottery Company) | 1947-80 | "Brock" "Brock Ware" "Grantcrest" tableware | |||
| Ball Brothers | 1943–1948 | Art ware & figurines | |||
| 1942–1958 | Art ware & figurines | [22] | |||
| Batchelder | 1910–1932 | Tile & architectural products | |||
| Batchelder-Wilson Company | Los Angeles | mid-1920s | Tile & architectural products | ||
| Bauer Pottery Company of Los Angeles | Los Angeles | 2000–present | "Bauer 2000" Tableware, art ware & kitchenware | [23] | |
| Belmar of California | Los Angeles | 1965–1967 | Art ware | ||
| Bell Manufacturing and Sales Co. | Los Angeles | 1950s | Figurines & art ware | ||
| The Bennetts | North Hollywood | 1940s-1950s | Art ware | ||
| Bergstrom and French | Glendale, California (Scottsdale, Arizona after 1954) | 1946–1953 | "Solana Ware" Ovenware | ||
| Bernard Studios | Los Angeles | 1940s | Figurines | ||
| Beth Barton | 1940s-1950s | Figurines | |||
| Betty Lou Nichols | 1949–1962 | Giftware & figurines | [24] | ||
| Bevan Kilns | Pasadena, Sierra Madre after 1943 | 1940s | Figurines & giftware | ||
| Bill Meyer | Los Angeles | 1950s | Figurines & art ware | ||
| Bishop of California | unknown | 1940s | Planters, giftware | ||
| Block Pottery | Los Angeles | 1940s | Figurines, art ware & giftware | ||
| Bradster Potteries | Los Angeles | 1941–1943 | Tableware, art ware & figurines | ||
| 1927–1968 | Tableware, art ware & figurines | ||||
| Brusche Ceramics/Brusche Ceramics of California (J.A. Bauer Pottery after 1950) | Whittier | 1949 | Tableware | ||
| Burke-Simmons | unknown | late 1930s-1940s | Figurines | ||
| Burke-Winton | unknown | 1930s | Figurines | ||
| California Art Products | unknown | 1940s | Giftware | ||
| California Art Tile Company (Cal Art) | 1923–1964 | Tile | |||
| California Brick and Tile Company (formerly Owens Brick Company | Van Nuys | unknown | Brick | ||
| California Belleek | Los Angeles | 1948–1967 | Figurines, giftware, tableware & art ware | ||
| California Ceramics (Ceramic Manufacturing Company) | 1940s-1950s | "Orchard Ware" tableware | [25] | ||
| California China Products Company (CCPCo) | 1911–1917 | "Kaospar" tile | |||
| California Clay Products (Calco) | 1923–1932 | Tile | |||
| The California Cleminsons | 1941–1963 | Giftware & figurines | |||
| California Dresden | 1951–1954 | Figurines & art ware | |||
| California Figurine Company (Weil of California after 1946) | Los Angeles | 1941–1946 | "Weil Ware" giftware, artware, tableware & figurines | ||
| California Originals | 1955–1982 | Kitchenware, giftware | |||
| California Pottery and Tile Works | Los Angeles | 1994–present | Tile | [26] | |
| Calpotter | Laguna Beach | 1940s | Art ware | ||
| Capistrano Ceramics/John R. Stewart Inc. | 1948–1951 | Art ware & figurines | |||
| Carlana China | Los Angeles | 1940s | Figurines | ||
| 1927–1937 | Tableware, art ware, tile, giftware & figurines | [27] | |||
| Casa Verdugo Pottery | 1940s | Giftware | |||
| Los Angeles | 1935–1955 | Giftware, kitchenware, art ware & figurines | |||
| Ceramicraft | 1950s | Art ware | |||
| Ceramic Originals by Freeman-Leidy | Laguna Beach | 1944–1955 | Figurines, giftware, & tile | ||
| Chalice of California | Los Angeles | 1945-early 1950s | Tableware, art ware & figurines | ||
| Classic Terra Cotta Company | Long Beach | 2003–present | Terra cotta floor tile | [28] | |
| Clay Sketches | Pasadena | 1940-50s | Figurines | ||
| Clay Works, Inc. | 1973- | Planters | |||
| Claycraft Potteries | Los Angeles | 1921–1939 | Tile | ||
| The Claysmiths | 1945–1956 | "Will-George" art ware & figurines | |||
| Claire Lerner | Los Angeles | 1946-1950s | Art ware & figurines | ||
| Cole-Merris | early 1940s | Art ware & figurines | |||
| Covina Pottery | Covina | 1943-1990s | Planters & art ware | ||
| Crest China Company (Royal Crest China after 1952) | 1949-mid-1950s | Art ware & giftware | |||
| Crowell | 1940s | Figurines | |||
| D. & M. Tile Company | Los Angeles | 1928–1939 | Tile | ||
| Dan Daniels | unknown | 1930s | Figurines | ||
| De Forest of California | 1950–1970 | Cookie jars & novelty giftware | |||
| deLee Art Company | Los Angeles | 1937-1950s | Figurines | [29] | |
| DeCora Ceramics, Inc. | 1952–1954 | Art pottery, wall plates & dinnerware | |||
| Decorative Arts, Inc. | 1927–1933 | "Dec-Art" tile | |||
| Denwar Ceramics | 1940s-1950s | Dinnerware | |||
| Desert Sands | 1960s-70s | Art ware | |||
| Designcraft, Inc. | Los Angeles | 1963- | Tile, kitchenware and art ware | ||
| Dick Knox Pottery | Laguna Beach | 1942–1950 | "Knox China" tableware & art ware | ||
| Donna Winston | unknown | 1950s | Art ware, giftware & mugs | ||
| Doranne of California | Los Angeles | 1950s-1980s | Cookie jars, kitchenware, giftware, & planters | ||
| Douglass Clay Products Company (Pacific Sewer Pipe after 1910) | Los Angeles | 1903–1910 | Sewer pipe | ||
| Dorothy Kindell | Laguna Beach | 1940s-1950s | Giftware & figurines | ||
| Drummond Pottery | Capistrano Beach | 1950s | Figurines | ||
| Dubby of Hollywood | 1940s | Figurines | |||
| Earthgender | 1970s | Art ware & planters | |||
| Edmond Ronaky | Laguna Beach | 1950s | Art ware & giftware | ||
| Elzac | Los Angeles, after 1944 Hawthorne | 1941–1947 | Figurines | ||
| Emesco Refractories Company | Los Angeles | 1927-unknown | Fire brick | ||
| Empire China Company | 1920s- | Restaurant ware & tableware | |||
| The Enchanto Co. | Burbank | 1950s | Tableware | ||
| Esther Shirey | 1930s | Figurines | |||
| Eugene White | 1941–1948 | Tableware & art ware | |||
| Ever Art Ceramics | Los Angeles | 1940s | Art ware | [30] | |
| The Feldman Company | Los Angeles | unknown | Lamps | ||
| Los Angeles | 1906–1921 | Art ware | |||
| Fleurette Ceramics, Inc. | West Hollywood | 1950s | Giftware | ||
| Flintridge China Company (Gorham after 1970) | Pasadena | 1945–1970 | Tableware | ||
| Florence Ceramics | Pasadena | 1942–1977 | Giftware & figurines | [31] | |
| Frazier, Inc. | 1960s | Kitchenware | |||
| Fred Wind Ceramics | Glendale | 1950–1960 | "Windware" art ware | ||
| Freeman Lederman | unknown | Kitchenware & tableware | |||
| Freeman McFarlin | 1951–1980 | Art ware & figurines | |||
| G.T. Chemical Products, Inc. | San Diego | 1977-1980s | "Clay in Mind" planters, cookware, & giftware | ||
| Gainey Ceramics Inc. | 1949–2013 | Planters & tile | |||
| Gene Lodi | unknown | 1950s | Art ware | ||
| Genevieve and Charles Tulley | Glendale | 1947-unknown | Lamps, art ware & figurines | ||
| Gilner | 1948–1957 | Art ware | |||
| Globe Tile and Porcelain Works | Los Angeles | unknown | Tile | ||
| Golden State Ceramics | Pasadena | 1940s | Artware & giftware | [32] | |
| Grand Feu Art Pottery (Brauckman Art Pottery) | Los Angeles | mid-1900s | "Grand Feu" and "Brauckman" art ware | ||
| Grant Beach | Los Angeles | 1940s | Art ware | [33] | |
| Grayson Arts | Pasadena | 1949-unknown | Giftware & art ware | ||
| Green Tree Studio (Bess Wilson) | North Hollywood | 1940s | Gifware | ||
| Group Artec | Los Angeles | unknown | Tile & planters | [34] | |
| Guppy | 1940s-1950s | “Island Ware” tableware | |||
| H.F. Coors | 1925–2003 | Institutional china | [35] | ||
| H & H Tile Company | Los Angeles | 1927-unknown | Tile | ||
| 1946–2021 | Giftware, planters & figurines | [36] | |||
| Halcyon Art Pottery | 1910–1913 | Art pottery | |||
| Haldeman Pottery | Burbank | 1933–1953 | "Caliente" art ware & figurines | ||
| Hallfield Pottery | unknown | 1950s | Figurines | ||
| Hamilton Pottery | Los Angeles | 1930s | Figurines & art ware | ||
| Hardie-Arnita | 1940s | Figurines | |||
| Harold Burress Pottery | North Hollywood | 1950s | Giftware | ||
| Harold Johnson | 1940–1952 | Art ware | |||
| Hollywood | 1940–1958 | Art ware & figurines | |||
| Heirlooms of Tomorrow (California Originals after 1955) | 1944–1955 | Figurines | |||
| Helen Greenleaf Lane | 1874–1962 | Tile | |||
| Hermione Ceramics | Glendale | 1940s-1950s | Giftware & figurines | [37] [38] | |
| Hinkle of Monrovia | 1940s | Kitchenware | |||
| Hispano-Moresque | Los Angeles | 1927–1934 | Tile | [39] | |
| Hoffman Tile Company | unknown | "Dequa" tile | |||
| Hollydale Potteries | 1935–1959 | “Malibu Modern” tableware | |||
| Howard Pierce Ceramics | 1941–1994 | Giftware & figurines | [40] | ||
| Hueckel China and Porcelain Company, Inc. | 1948- | "Kaolina" art ware, & hotel ware | |||
| Italian Terra Cotta Company | Los Angeles | unknown | Architectural Terra Cotta & garden ware | ||
| Ivar of Hollywood | Hollywood | 1940s | Art ware & figurines | ||
| Jane Callender | North Hollywood | 1942-early 1950s | Figurines | ||
| Jane Holland | 1940s | Kitchenware | |||
| Jaru Art Products | Culver City | 1950–1968 | Art ware & figurines | ||
| Jaska of California | Los Angeles | 1946-mid-1950s | Giftware & "Cascade Ware" tableware | ||
| Jean Goodwin Ames | Padua Hills, Claremont | 1950s | Giftware & art ware | ||
| Jean Manley | North Hollywood | 1940-50s | Figurines | ||
| Jean Read | unknown | 1940s | Giftware | ||
| Los Angeles | 1953–1959 | Giftware & art ware | |||
| Johanna Ceramics | Costa Mesa | 1940s | Art ware | ||
| Josef Originals | Monrovia | 1946–1985 | Figurines | [41] | |
| Johannes Brahm | 1945–1956 | Giftware & art ware | [42] | ||
| Joy Thompson | Pasadena | 1940s-1950s | Figurines | ||
| K & M Pottery | Los Angeles | unknown | Stoneware utilitarian wares | ||
| Karl Roma | unknown | 1940s | Artware, figurines & giftware | ||
| Kay Finch Ceramics | Corona Del Mar | 1940s-1963 | Tableware, art ware, & figurines | [43] | |
| Kaye of Hollywood | North Hollywood | early 1940s | Figurines | ||
| Kellems of Ceramics | Pasadena | 1940s | Art ware | ||
| Kim Ward (formerly Kaye of Hollywood) | North Hollywood | late 1940s | Figurines | ||
| The Kiln of Sara Hume | 1940s | Art ware & figurines | [44] | ||
| Kinneloa Kiln | Los Angeles | 1938–1951 | "Batchhelder Ceramics" art ware | ||
| Kipp Ceramics | Pasadena | late 1940s | Art ware & figurines | ||
| Knowles, Taylor, and Knowles | Burbank | 1940s | Art ware & figurines | ||
| Kraftile | 1926–1997 | Tile | |||
| L.A. Pressed Brick | Los Angeles | 1887–1926 | Brick, architectural terra cotta & tile | ||
| La Mirada Potteries | Los Angeles | 1935–1939 | Tableware, art ware & figurines | ||
| La Cañada | 1930s-1940s | Tableware, kitchenware & art ware | |||
| Landaker Original Ceramics | Los Angeles | 1940s | Art ware & figurines | ||
| Lane | 1940s-1950s | TV lamps & planters | |||
| Lee Wollard | Burbank | 1946–1951 | Figurines & art ware | ||
| Leneige China | Burbank | 1934–1955 | Tableware & art ware | ||
| Lester of California | Pasadena | 1950s | Figurines | ||
| Los Angeles Potteries | 1940s-1971 | Tableware, cookie jars, & kitchenware | |||
| Los Angeles Stoneware Company (Douglass Clay Products Company after 1903) | Los Angeles | 1900–1903 | Sewer pipe | ||
| Lucie Watkins | Los Angeles | 1940s | Figurines & art ware | ||
| M & L Manufacturing Company | 1950s | "De Maray" tableware & art ware | |||
| Mackie Artware | Corona Del Mar | 1940s-1950s | Figurines & art ware | ||
| Madeline Originals | Pasadena | 1948–present | Art ware & garden ware | ||
| Maddux of California | Los Angeles | 1938–1976 | Art ware, giftware & figurines | ||
| Malibu Ceramic Works | Topanga | 1979–present | Tile, pots, terra cotta floor tile | [45] | |
| 1926–1932 | Tile | ||||
| Marc Bellaire, Inc. | Culver City | 1953-early 1960s | Giftware, figurines & art ware | ||
| Marcia Ceramics of California | Los Angeles | early 1940s-unknown | Cookie jars, giftware & figurines | ||
| Markham Pottery | 1913–1921 | Art ware | |||
| Markoff | Inglewood | 1926–1945 | Tile | ||
| Marsh Industries | Glendale, after 1959 Los Angeles | 1950- | "French Chef Cookware" cookware and "California Giftware" giftware | ||
| Mary Jane Hart | Los Angeles | 1940s | "Copa de Oro" figurines | [46] | |
| Maybrik | Los Angeles | unknown | Tile | ||
| Mathew Adams | Los Angeles | 1960s | Art ware | ||
| Max P.H. Schonfeld | Los Angeles | 1939-late 1950s | "Kaolina" artware & giftware | ||
| Maxine Cloud | 1945–1953 | Giftware & art ware | |||
| McCarty Brothers | 1940s | Giftware & figurines | |||
| Mc Me Productions | 1980s | Cookie Jars | |||
| McAffee | San Gabriel | 1940s | Art ware | ||
| Mel Ceramics | 1950s | Tableware & art ware | [47] | ||
| Meyers/California Rainbow Pottery | Vernon | 1930s-1940s | Tableware, kitchenware & art ware | ||
| Miramar of California | Los Angeles | 1950s-1960s | Tableware, kitchenware & art ware | ||
| Mission China Company | Los Angeles | unknown | Hotel & restaurant ware | ||
| Modglin's Originals | Los Angeles | 1940–1945 | Figurines | ||
| Moreno Ceramics | Pomona | 1971-unknown | Flower pots & figural planters | ||
| Nipedal Manufacturing Co. | Pasadena | 1940s | "Pas Cal" figurines & giftware | ||
| Northington Inc. | Los Angeles | 1950s | Tableware | ||
| Orange Grove Pottery | Burbank | 1948–1974 | Tableware, giftware & planters | ||
| Padre | Los Angeles | 1930s-1940s | Tableware, kitchenware, art ware & figurines | ||
| Pacific Art Tile Company (Western Art Tile Company after 1904 | Los Angeles (Tropico) | 1902–1904 | Tile | ||
| Pacific Sewer Pipe Company (Pacific Clay Products after 1916) | Los Angeles, Los Nietos | 1910–1916 | Sewer pipe | ||
| Pat and Covey Stewart | Laguna Beach | 1940s | Art ware | ||
| Peterson Studios | El Segundo | 1950s | Art ware | ||
| Phyllis Lester | Los Angeles | 1940s | Art ware | ||
| Los Angeles | early 1948-1992 | Art ware | |||
| Pixie Potters (Millicent Andrews) | Los Angeles | 1939–1954 | " Millesan Drews Miniature Pixies" figurines | ||
| Poinsettia Ceramics | Baldwin Park | 1940s | Giftware | [48] | |
| Pomona Tile Manufacturing Co. | 1923–1976 | Tile | |||
| Potters Associated | unknown | Tableware | |||
| Poxon China Products | Vernon | 1912–1928 | Tile & tableware | ||
| Pro Artisans | Manhattan Beach | unknown | Lamps | ||
| Proutyline Products (American Encaustic Tiling Co. after 1926) | Hermosa Beach | 1921–1926 | Tile | ||
| Raymond Koechlin | Los Angeles | 1940s | Art ware | ||
| Rembrant Pottery | Laguna Beach | 1930s | Art ware | ||
| Renaker-Brazel | 1974–1992 | Miniature figurines | |||
| Rhead Pottery | 1913–1917 | Tile | |||
| Ridgewood China | Los Angeles | 1940s | Tableware | ||
| Rio Hondo | 1939-mid-1950s | Figurines | |||
| Riverside Ceramics | 1946–1947 | Zeisel tableware | [49] | ||
| Robaul of California | unknown | 1940s-1950s | Art ware | ||
| Robert Maxwell Studio | 1960s-1970s | "Robert Maxwell Stoneware" art ware, planters, figurines | [50] | ||
| Robert Simmons | 1940s-1950s | Giftware & figurines | |||
| Los Angeles | 1934–1952 | Art ware | |||
| Robyn Ceramics | 1940s-1950s | Figurines | |||
| Rose S. Shep | 1948–1963 | Tableware, giftware, planters, & lamps | |||
| The Rose Crown China Co. | Pasadena | 1940s | Giftware | ||
| Roselane Pottery | Pasadena | 1938–1977 | Giftware, art ware & figurines | ||
| Ross | 1940s | Figurines | |||
| Rothman Stoneware | Los Angeles | 1971–1982 | "Rothwoman" kitchenware, & tableware | ||
| Roy John of Wilmar California | 1940s | Figurines | |||
| Rumph | unknown | 1960s-1970s | Art ware & mugs | ||
| Saar | 1950–1962 | Art ware, tableware, & giftware | |||
| San Vallé Tile Kilns | Los Angeles | 1952-unknown | Tableware | ||
| Santa Anita | Los Angeles | 1940s-1950s | Tableware & kitchenware | ||
| Santa Barbara Ceramic Design | Santa Barbara | 1976-unknown | Giftware & art ware | ||
| Sascha Brastoff Ceramics | Los Angeles | 1947–1963 | Tableware, art ware, & figurines | [51] | |
| Sasha Studios (Sasha Katchamakoff) | Los Angeles | 1950s | Figurines | ||
| Sierra Vista Ceramics | 1942–1958 | Cookie jars & giftware | |||
| S-Squire Ceramics | Los Angeles | 1943–1950 | Giftware & figurines | ||
| Southern California Ceramic Company/California Art Products, Inc. | Santa Monica/Los Angeles | 1945–1953 | "Orchard" "Hollywood Ware" tableware | ||
| Southern California Clay Products (California Clay Products after 1923) | Vernon | 1917–1923 | Chemical stoneware | ||
| Southern California Coal and Clay Company (Pacific Sewer Pipe Company after 1910) | Lake Elsinore | 1886–1910 | Sewer pipe | [52] | |
| Starnes (Walter Starnes) | Los Angeles | 1952–1954 | Tableware | ||
| Stewart B. McCulloch | unknown | 1940s | Figurines & art ware | ||
| Sunshine Ceramics of Los Angeles | Los Angeles | 1940s | Giftware | ||
| Susi Singer | Pasadena | 1935–1955 | Figurines | ||
| Sy Alan Designs | unknown | Lamps | [53] | ||
| Sylvan Ceramics | Pasadena | 1943- | art ware | ||
| Sylvia Hood Designs | Pasadena | 1960–1965 | Figurines | ||
| Taylor Tilery | Santa Monica | 1930–1941 | Tile | ||
| Tony Hill-Wilmer James | Los Angeles | late 40s-early 50s | Art ware | ||
| Treasure Craft – Pottery Craft | 1955–1995 | Giftware, kitchenware, & figurines | [54] | ||
| Triangle Studios (Vallona Starr Ceramics) | 1930–1953 | Novelty giftware, kitchenware & art ware | |||
| Tropico Potteries (Gladding, McBean & Co. after 1923) | Los Angeles | 1921–1923 | Tile, architectural terra cotta & sewer pipe | ||
| Tudor Art Tile Company (Tudor Potteries) | Los Angeles | 1927–1939 | Tile, art ware, garden ware & figurines | ||
| Twin Winton | 1936–1975 | Giftware, kitchenware, & figurines | |||
| Vadna of California | 1940s-1950s | Tableware & art ware | |||
| Valentien Pottery Company | San Diego | 1911–1913 | Art pottery | ||
| Valley Vista Ceramics | Los Angeles | 1946–1962 | Giftware | ||
| Vally Werner | Los Angeles | 1940s | Art ware | ||
| Van Straaton Company | Santa Monica | 1940s | Art ware | ||
| Vee Jackson | San Gabriel then Pasadena | 1946–1976 | Giftware | ||
| Vessel USA Inc. | 1998–present | Planters | [55] | ||
| Victoria Ceramics | 1940s | Figurines | |||
| Vitrefrax Company | Los Angeles | unknown | Insulators | ||
| Vohann of California | 1950–present | Art ware & giftware | [56] | ||
| Wade Ceramics | North Hollywood | 1965–1967 | Art ware & kitchenware | ||
| Walker Potteries | Monrovia | 1945–1952 | Figurines | ||
| Walker-Renaker | Monrovia | 1952–1959 | Figurines | [57] | |
| Wallace China Company | 1931–1964 | Restaurant ware | |||
| Walter Wilson | Pasadena | 1943–1954 | Giftware & figurines | ||
| Weil of California (California Figurine Company prior to 1946) | Los Angeles | 1946–1955 | "Weil Ware" giftware, artware, tableware & figurines | ||
| West Coast Tile Company (American Encaustic Tiling Company after 1919) | Vernon | 1914–1919 | Tile | ||
| West Coast | Burbank | 1940s-1950s | Art ware, giftware & figurines | ||
| Western Art Tile Company (Tropico Potteries after 1921) | Los Angeles (Tropico) | early 1904-1920 | Tile | ||
| Western Quarry Tiles | Monrovia | 1959–present | Garden ware & tile | [58] | |
| Whiting-Mead Company | Los Angeles | unknown | Sanitary ware & garden ware | ||
| Wildwood Ceramics | Pasadena | 1940s-1950s | Giftware | ||
| Will-George (became The Claysmiths in 1945) | Pasadena | 1934–1945 | Giftware & figurines | ||
| William Bonzi | Pasadena | 1945-1950s | "Bonzi" giftware, artware & tableware | ||
| William Manker Ceramics | Padua Hills – Claremont | 1933-late 1950s | Art ware & figurines | ||
| Wilmer James | Los Angeles | 1940s | Art ware | ||
| Winfield Pottery – Gabriel Porcelain Pottery | Pasadena | 1929–1962 | "Winfield" "Gabriel Porcelain" tableware, art ware & figurines | ||
| Winifred Cole of California | Van Nuys | 1967- | Giftware | ||
| Wolper Art Studios | Los Angeles | 1948-unknown | Tableware & giftware | ||
| Yerbysmith Ceramics | Laguna Beach | 1940s | Art ware | ||
| Ynez | Inglewood | 1940s-1950s | Figurines | ||
| Yona Ceramics | Los Angeles | 1952–1957 | Giftware & figurines |
See main article: article and Studio pottery.