Established in 1900, the Limoges China Company was renamed the American Limoges Company in 1949, due to a dispute with the Limoges China Company in France. The company produced European porcelain dinnerware, tea sets, chocolate sets, and fruit, salad and soup sets for the American market. Output included semi-vitreous china as well as true porcelain. The maker’s marks shown for this company includes USA when the term “American” is not included. Thus, it should be easy to tell this company’s products from those of many companies in the Limoges area of France, which frequently have only the word “Limoges” in their maker’s mark.

American Limoges developed the tunnel kiln, which fired the more china in an easier to load and unload structure, replacing the beehive kiln used since before written history. That revolutionized the production of china in the US and around the world, where it was adapted. American Limoges also used decal decoration heavily, reducing the necessity for hand-painted decorations, and painters, on its many china patterns.

The company lasted long enough to reach the modern design era, so some of the china forms and decorations are in the modern style. There are also older, more traditional designs such as the European china companies have produced. Production ceased in 1955.

Replacements, Ltd has almost 500 patterns in their list of American Limoges. Even if color variations are listed separately, and the numbered portion of the list duplicates the names portion, that is still quite a collection of patterns. The prices on the secondary market are not expensive, so if there is a pattern you like, you should be able to afford a few pieces in it, even if you never assemble a full set of dinnerware.

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