The Haviland Family

Although there are only two of the Haviland families names represented in Suzanne’s porcelain collection, I felt I needed to write a history of the whole family.  I will be collecting more Haviland pieces in the future and will be adding their pictures to this page.

The story of the Haviland’s legacy in the porcelain industry starts when David Haviland, an American, moved to Limoges, France and started his own factory in 1841.  The story intertwines uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, nephew’s…  Note:  Some the names of David’s grandsons, and nephews,etc. are the same.  GEEZ!  Some started their own factories which became competition for one another!  So, here the story goes!

HAVILAND AND COMPANY

David Haviland was a partner of a New York firm called D.G & D. Haviland Trading Company.  Their primary business was importing and retail sales of English and French tableware.  The history of David Haviland goes further back than when he started his company, but I’ll just start with 1941.

1841-David Haviland along with his wife, Mary, and their son Charles, moved to Limoges, France.

1852-Charles Field Haviland left America to work for his uncle, David Haviland in Limoges, France.  (Charles Field’s father  (Robert) was David Haviland’s brother).  Charles Field was 20 years old at the time.

1853-David Haviland is granted permission by the French government to build his porcelain factory in Limoges, France.  The name of this first Haviland factory is HAVILAND AND COMPANY.  David’s brothers, Richard, Robert Barclay, and Daniel were also involved with the company, but I am not sure in what capacity.

David Havilands purpose was to produce the world’s finest china.  Within two years after receiving the necessary permits, David Haviland built one of the worlds most advanced china producing facilities.  Until that time, all the factories in Limoges produced blanks which were taken to Paris to be hand-painted in decorating studios (artist’s guilds).  Some were even decorated in peoples private homes.  Haviland was the first company to produce and decorate their own china.  This caused quite a stir, even rioting.  Haviland’s employees had to come to work in groups by bus.  Not only were they decorating on the same grounds, but the entire style of decorating was different.  The protests were being made by the other decorators.

By 1865, Haviland and Company had developed quite a reputation in the porcelain industry.  Since his main interest was for exporting his wares to the English and U.S. market, they made patterns and styles to serve their taste.  The French style of decorating tended to be to “busy” or “heavy” for the English and American tastes.

In 1865, David appointed his oldest son, Charles, to manage Haviland and Company in Limoges.  By this time, the company had grown and consisted of several factories, decorating facilities and warehouses.  He had his second son move to New York to market the Limoges factory products and continue to work with the D. G. & D. Haviland firm.

In 1872, Charles   opened a decorating studio in in Paris.  It was called the Auteuil Studio and it was managed by Felix Brocquemond.  Many well known artists, such as Manet, Monet, and the Damousse brothers were decorators at this studio.  Known as the French School, these artists influenced the Haviland and Company floral designs.  (Do not confuse Charles Haviland with Charles Field Haviland—they are cousins!  Charles Field is also in the porcelain business at this time.)

In 1879, the wife of President Rutherford B. Hayes called upon Haviland and Company to make a new china service for the White House.  This is a story in itself!  Anyway, to make a long story short, Mrs. Hayes wanted the set that would reflect the spirit and nature of America.  Theodore Davis, who was an illustrator of Harper’s Weekly, was chosen to produce the images for each piece.  The set was to be a multi-motif dinner service that illustrated the flora and fauna of America…  An entire book published by Haviland and Company titled “The White House Porcelain Service” was sent with the dinner service in June of 1880.  The book was inspired by the letters written to David Haviland by the wife of Theodore Hayes describing each of her husbands paintings used on the dinnerware.  The total cost of the Hayes set was $3,120.00.  The set, and the book, are now archived at the Smithsonian Institute.

David Haviland died in 1879.  Although the two sons, Charles and Theodore, had great skill, were very artistic, and had a great interest in the company, they also had their differences.  In 1891, Charles and David dissolved their partnership in the company.  Haviland and Company may have actually closed on December 31, 1891, but was re-opened, being managed by Charles and his son George.  Theodore opened his own company under his name.  The two became archrivals and many of the artists from the Auteuil Studio went to work for Theodore.

Charles died in 1921 and the company was then taken over by his oldest son, William, who joined the company in 1903.  There are other websites that state that William took over the company after the death of his father in 1919.  He was assisted by his brother and two brother-in-laws.  The company suffered several kiln fires in 1926 and in 1921 which destroyed part of the companies factory and several storage warehouses.  Because of the fires and the stock market crash in 1929, the company was unable to re-build and it was closed in 1931.  The stock market crash, also known as Black Tuesday, happened on October 29, 1929.  I believe that Gerard, Dufraisseix & Abbot bought the company.  This is the same company that bought the Charles Field Haviland & Cie in 1881 (although it was called Gerard, Dufraisseix & Morel at that time).

In 1941, the Theodore Haviland’s son, who was then running his fathers company, won exclusive rights to Haviland and Companies name and back stamps.

Due to the state of the European financial market, William moved part of his production facilities to Pennsylvania in 1942.  The American factory produced some of Haviland’s most popular pieces from 1942-1957.  Some of those patterns include Appleblossom, Rosalinde, Varenne, and Clinton.

After a while, family names get a little confusing when writing a history of this company…  Some reference material doesn’t explain who’s son is who’s when they have the same names!  SO, if I goof in my assumptions, is it understandable because I am kind of guessing…

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CHARLES FIELD HAVILAND

Charles Field Haviland is a son of Robert Barclay Haviland.  Robert is a brother of David Haviland, who founded Haviland and Company.  Charles was a very busy man for sure and was involved in companies with his in-laws, his father, his uncle (Richard), and brothers… GEEZ!

1858-Charles Field Haviland married Marie Louise Mallevergne, granddaughter of Francois Alluaud II, owner of the Casseaux Works (est. 1797).  This company was the largest porcelain producing factory in Limoges in the early part of the 19^th Century.  Within a year Charles was set up as a decorator of porcelain.

1859-Charled Field Haviland started a small decorating studio with his uncle, Richard Haviland (apparently another brother of David and Robert).  They decorated porcelain made at the Casseaux Works for export to the U.S.

1865-Charles Field Haviland in partnership with his father Robert B. Haviland, and brother, F. Haviland, rented a porcelain manufacturing company.  Somewhere before 1870 a decorating studio was added.

1870-Charles Field Haviland, along with O. Gagner, started the Charles Field Haviland & Cie.

1876-Charles Field Haviland officially takes over the old Alluoud factory after the deaths of both of Francois Alluoud’s sons, who ran the company.  Weird they both died the same year.  Anyway, Charles Field, being the husband of Alluoud’s granddaughter, and the only surviving male in the family, took over the factory.  Women at that time were not allowed to be in business.

1881-Charled Field Haviland retires, and the company is taken over by E. Gerard, J. B. Dufraisseix, and Morel (GDM). The new owners continued to use the CHF decorating mark but also used a CFM/GDM porcelain mark. Apparently Charles Field Haviland continued as a silent partner. He also remained in the export/import as part of Haviland and Gagner, then Haviland and Abbot.  I believe Frank Abbot was their American distributor in New York.

1929-Haviland and Company is sold to Gerard, Dufraisseix & Abbot (GDA).   Edgar Abbot replaced Morel (GDM) in 1900.  This is the same Abbot that was an import/export partner with Charles Field Haviland after he retired in 1881.  I am getting more confused by the minute!

1941-GDA sold the rights to some of the Charles Field Haviland models and marks to Robert Haviland and C. Parlon…  This Robert Haviland is the grandson of Charles Field Haviland.  Strangely enough, this is the same year Theodore Haviland’s company (under the direction of his son, William), won exclusive rights to the Haviland and Company name and back stamps from GDA.

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THEODORE HAVILAND

Theodore was the second son of David Haviland.  Around 1865, his father had him return to New York to help market their Limoges porcelain and continue working with the D.G.&D. Haviland Trading Company.  After his father’s death in 1879, Theodore and his older brother, Charles, dissolved their partnership in the families Haviland and Company business.  So, Theodore opened his own porcelain factory in Limoges called simply THEODORE HAVILAND.  Both Theodore and Charles were very good promoters and they struggled to gain control of the market.  Theodore agreed to put the names of his buyers on the backs of their pieces if they placed large orders.  A 1910 Macy’s catalog offered a 56-piece set of dinner ware for $20.00.  Theodore offered a 101-piece set of the same quality for the same price

Theodore Haviland died in 1919 and his company was passed to his son, William.  In 1941, Theodore Haviland-Limoges won exclusive rights to the Haviland and Company name and back stamps, which once again brought the two companies together.

I am not sure if the name “Theodore Haviland” was still used after that or not…

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JOHANN HAVILAND

I don’t have that much information on this company right now, but I’ll keep doing research.

From what I can gather, Johann’s name was actually Jean.  He was the grandson of David Haviland, and son of Charles.  He left Limoges to start his own company on Bavaria, Germany in 1907.  In 1924, an Italian firm bought the company, and then in 1933 is was sold to Rosenthal.  Johann Haviland pieces were sold in PX’s after WW II, and several patterns have been sold in grocery stores.

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ROBERT HAVILAND & C. PARLON

Robert Haviland is the grandson of Charles Field Haviland, who was named after his grandfather.  Charles Field Haviland was a nephew of David Haviland.

In 1941, Robert, along with C. Parlon, bought the rights of certain Charled Field Haviland models and the round red CH. FIELD HAVILAND-LIMOGES back stamp.

I am not sure when they stopped using the Charles Field Haviland back stamp, but the Robert Haviland & C. Parlon company is still in business today.

Allot of websites that are selling Robert Haviland and C. Parlon dinner ware, state that this company was founded in 1858…  That is kind of impossible since Robert’s grandfather, Charles Field, was married in 1858!  The Charles Field Haviland Company was founded in 1870, along with O. Gagner.  The round red mark that Robert Haviland and C. Parlon purchased the rights to was not used excusively in RED by GDA until 1900.  It was used in red or gray from 1882-1900.

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One of 10 plates by Theodore Havaland 1-28-2010

This pictures shows the fine detail the Havaland products are well noted for. Picture taken 1-28-2010.

Theodore Havaland mark. Picture taken 1-29-2010.