Shenango China began its operations in New Castle, Pennsylvania in competition with the also existent New Castle Pottery. The pottery companies fell into financial difficulties throughout their beginning in 1901 until 1909. It was in 1909 that James M. Smith, Sr. took ownership, with a group of investors, of Shenango China and named it Shenango Pottery. He soon moved the company to the New Castle Pottery building and expanded the company in 1912. 1927 reared its face with Shenango Pottery being the largest producer of hotel and restaurant china in the country.
In 1939, Louis Hellmann from Rosenthal China Company in Germany met with James M. Smith, Sr., seeing the onset of European conflict, to form a fine china company with assets invested by the Shenango Pottery and Louis Hellman as a subsidiary company to Shenango Pottery. The corporate offices would be located in New York, NY and the production in New Castle, PA. This fine china subsidiary was named Castleton China.
In a partnership with the Museum of Modern Art, formed in 1929, Castleton China partnered with Eva Zeisel, a Hungarian modern artist, who taught at the Pratt Institute. In 1941, Zeisel designed the freeform shape for Castleton, known as “Museum”. An exhibition of “Museum” at the MoMA was delayed due to World War II, but was on display later in the exhibition titled, Modern China, April 16–June 9, 1946. This service was mass marketed in the United States and would also partner with an exhibition of various contemporaries of Zeisel, including Pablo Picasso, Marcel Vertes, Stuart Davies, Ching Chih Yee, Philip Costigan, Elsie Shaver, and Amedeo Modigliani (works seen hung on wall below).
Through an internship provided by Pleasant Hill Historians, Noah Steiner, a Westminster College student researched the connections that Zeisel had between the feminism movement and the modern art movement. To read more, please click here.
During World War II, Shenango Pottery assisted in the war effort, making ceramic land mines and durable goods for soldiers. Large orders soon came in from the military in order to supply for the war effort’s needs.
In 1948, James M. Smith, Sr. retired, resting the ownership and leadership of Shenango Pottery to his son, James M. Smith, Jr. In 1951, Shenango Pottery purchased the remaining stock of the Castleton China from Hellmann and moved their corporate offices from New York, NY to New Castle, PA. In 1952, Smith, Jr. died and George Zahneiser became President.
At this time, Shenango Pottery and its subsidiaries could be found all of the world—from the Waldorf Astoria in New York, NY to Haile Selaisse, the emperor of Ethiopia. In 1954, Shenango Pottery changed its name back to the original name, Shenango China.
Concerns surfaced due to the cheaper production of china being produced overseas. Zahneiser petitioned Congress to extend tariffs on fine china due to a significant decrease of sales between 1949–51. These concerns did not cease. As the cost of foreign goods continued to be less than domestic goods, Shenango China continued to feel the pain. Through many changes in ownerships, eventually, in 1991, Shenango China closed its doors, leaving behind a legacy of at least 82 years.