How Do You Identify Guerin China Patterns?
Identifying old china patterns, especially in a highly productive manufacturing area like Limoges in France, is a lesson in a highly competitive industry made possible by the Industrial Revolution. The Guerin china company was not one but several, as companies consolidated activities and the maker’s marks that identified their wares. Identifying Guerin patterns requires knowing some of this history and creating a useful definition of Guerin products: work created by the Lebron & Cie and Jouhannaud & Dubois factories under Guerin ownership (Wm. Guerin & Cie, 1870s through 1932), patterns added by the Guerin’s acquisition of 3/4 of the J. Pouyat company, the additional lines added in 1920/21 through consolidation resulting in the Guerin Pouyat Elite brand—or all three. Locating a specific pattern involves sifting through hundreds of them. Limoges china, especially that made for the export market, was produced in huge quantities and large sets, to meet the needs of large families and mu
