F Gladding, McBean & Company was incorporated in California in 1886. Fireproof clay building products, including tile and brick were among the first products from the original plant site in Lincoln. The search for product diversity and a desire for a greater presence in the decorative art tile market in the early 1930's led to the acquisition of The American Encaustic Tiling Company. By 1934, Gladding, McBean was intent on forming an art pottery and tableware division. To facilitate the move, Frederic J. Grant, President of the Weller Pottery of Zanesville, Ohio was lured to California and installed in the position as sales manager of the Franciscan Art and Utility Pottery division. Gladding, McBean & Co. had already patented a special clay formula called Malinite which allowed the for the production of pottery with the strength of vitrified china that could be fired at lower temperatures with almost no shrinkage. The first lines of the new Franciscan Pottery--Coronado and Cielito-- were introduced nationwide in mid 1934. This was the first dinnerware form California to be aggressively marketed in the East. Franciscan pottery was marketed aggressively. The American public was delighted with the new less formal California look and the success of early Franciscan ware was almost instantaneous. In 1940, Apple, the first hand-painted pattern was introduced. A year later, what proved to be an even more popular design called Desert Rose was created. These intitial hand-painted designs were followed by numerous other successful patterns in the 1940's and 1950's. By the end of the fifties decade, increased foreign compitition was forcing Gladding, McBean to consider alternative production options. Several new lines introduced in 1960, were produced in Japan. These lines were not made with the Malinite process and were not of the same quality that offerred resistance to crazing. In 1962 Gladding McBean & Company merged with Lock Joint and Pipe Company. This new corporation was called the International Pipe & Ceramics Corporation. In 1963, this name was changed to INTERPACE. After the merger, Franciscan still enjoyed excellent market share in the casual dinnerware category throughout the 1960's and into the early 1970's. In 1974, INTERPACE acquired the English pottery giant Alfred Meakin. After this, Meakin dinnerware and Franciscan dinnerware were marketed jointly. In, 1979, Franciscan Ceramics was sold to Josiah Wedgewood and Son, Ltd. of England. In 1984 Wedgwood closed Franciscan's Glendale, California plant and moved all of the production to England.
Franciscan Patterns