When Johnson Brothers was founded in 1883 by Frederick and Alfred Johnson, two grandsons of the founders of the renowned English pottery, J. & G. Meakin, the goal for their Staffordshire pottery was to produce an earthenware called “White Granite,” which is marked on many early pieces as “SEMI PORCELAIN.” The Johnson Brothers, sometimes abbreviated to Johnson Bros, felt it was a great material for
dinnerware because it looked and felt like
china but was as tough as ironstone. As it turned out, though, White Granite would not be the product for which Johnson Brothers would become best known.
By 1888, Frederick and Alfred’s elder brother, Henry, had joined the company, which produced its wares in a factory called the Charles Street Works in Stoke-on-Trent, as well as at two other facilities nearby. By the end of the century, the family’s fourth brother, Robert, joined his siblings from a satellite office in New York, the number of Johnson Brothers potteries would climb to five (the original Charles Street Works plus the Imperial Works, Hanley Works, Trent Works, and the Scotia Road Works in Tunstall), and the ware for which the firm would become most famous,
transferware, would be added to the line.
Thus began a fortuitous period for these grandsons of the great Meakin dynasty. With Robert drumming up sales for the affordable pottery in America, Johnson Brothers china was soon selling well in the United States, where transferware and
flow blue porcelain were very popular. The quality of the ware was unquestioned, but the company’s mid-range pricing made it easy for people to fill their cupboards with Johnson Brothers products.
In the early part of the century, the sons of the brothers joined the firm to lead sales efforts across Europe. After
World War I, during the 1920s, a new colored clay called “Dawn” was introduced—it came in gray, rose, green, and gold. By the end of the decade, several Johnson grandsons had also joined the firm.
Flow blue...
When Johnson Brothers was founded in 1883 by Frederick and Alfred Johnson, two grandsons of the founders of the renowned English pottery, J. & G. Meakin, the goal for their Staffordshire pottery was to produce an earthenware called “White Granite,” which is marked on many early pieces as “SEMI PORCELAIN.” The Johnson Brothers, sometimes abbreviated to Johnson Bros, felt it was a great material for
dinnerware because it looked and felt like
china but was as tough as ironstone. As it turned out, though, White Granite would not be the product for which Johnson Brothers would become best known.
By 1888, Frederick and Alfred’s elder brother, Henry, had joined the company, which produced its wares in a factory called the Charles Street Works in Stoke-on-Trent, as well as at two other facilities nearby. By the end of the century, the family’s fourth brother, Robert, joined his siblings from a satellite office in New York, the number of Johnson Brothers potteries would climb to five (the original Charles Street Works plus the Imperial Works, Hanley Works, Trent Works, and the Scotia Road Works in Tunstall), and the ware for which the firm would become most famous,
transferware, would be added to the line.
Thus began a fortuitous period for these grandsons of the great Meakin dynasty. With Robert drumming up sales for the affordable pottery in America, Johnson Brothers china was soon selling well in the United States, where transferware and
flow blue porcelain were very popular. The quality of the ware was unquestioned, but the company’s mid-range pricing made it easy for people to fill their cupboards with Johnson Brothers products.
In the early part of the century, the sons of the brothers joined the firm to lead sales efforts across Europe. After
World War I, during the 1920s, a new colored clay called “Dawn” was introduced—it came in gray, rose, green, and gold. By the end of the decade, several Johnson grandsons had also joined the firm.
Flow blue patterns produced by Johnson Brothers in the early years of the 20th century included Albany, Astoria, Brooklyn, Claremont, Clarence, Clayton, Del Monte, Dresden, Eclipse, Florida, Fulton, Jewel, Montana, Neopolitan, Normandy, Oregon, Oxford, Pansey, Peach, Pekin, Persian, Princeton, Richmond, Royston, Stanley, St. Louis, Tokio, Tulip, Venice, and Vienna. Later, in the teens and early 1920s, Andora, Argyle, Coral, Georgia, Holland, Kenworth, Mongolia, Savoy, Sterling, and Turin were introduced.
Most antique Johnson Brothers marks from those years read, “Johnson Bros England” and had a crown on them, some with squared-off corners. The pattern name was sometimes printed with quotes around it, but more often it went without.
Beyond flow blue, Johnson Brothers produced numerous transferware patterns for its plates, platters, and pitchers. The firm is most often associated with patterns featuring wild turkeys or the scenes in the Historic America series. Summer Chintz was another favorite, as were the Old Britain Castles from the late 1920s, which were engraved by an artist identified only as Miss Fennel, the daughter of a master engraver.
The 1930s saw the shuttering of the company’s original Charles Street Works and the replacement of its traditional coal-fired “bottle” kilns for all-electric tunnel versions. With a Depression on, it was a good time to modernize in the hopes of better days ahead, plus the process had the added benefit of being safer for factory employees.
A slowdown in production for the war effort during the late 1930s almost destroyed Johnson Brothers, but limited orders from the United States helped keep the family in business. After the war, new facilities in England, Australia, and Canada were added for the purpose of decorating, glazing, and firing Johnson Bros dinnerware.
After
World War II, pieces in the Friendly Village pattern were widely sought, as were the company’s
Christmas plates. By the 1950s,
cups and saucers in the Carnival line featured bold solid colors and cups with tapering bases. The look was very
Mid-Century Modern, which was a long way from the company’s aesthetic roots. However, Johnson Brothers continued to make pieces in traditional styles, such as its dinnerware sets like Old Britain Castles or the Historic America patterns, which included scenes from U.S. history surrounded by a border design first produced by Ralph Stevenson in the 1820s.
Finally, in 1968, unable to remain independent any longer, Johnson Brothers joined the
Wedgwood Group. Its five earthenware factories doubled Wedgwood’s size, and meant the company now had the rights to the Adams,
Clarice Cliff, Coalport, Foley, Johnson Bros, Mason, Meakin, Midwinter, Shorter, Susie Cooper, Tuscan, and Royal Tuscan names. Even after the acquisition, Johnson Brothers’ china won prestigious Royal Warrant of Appointments for both the Queen and the Queen Mother in 1970.
During the 1970s, the company launched its popular Summerfields range and in 1981, Johnson Bros debuted its “Heritage” series, which featured “Eternal Beau,” the bestselling earthenware range of all time. However, in 2003, production moved to China, so collectors interested in true Staffordshire pottery must seek out vintage Johnson Brothers china.
