History of Pickard

Wilder A. Pickard (1857-1939) started the company in 1894 by offering his customers hand-painted giftware, artware, and eventually dinnerware of the highest quality.

Pickard assembled a group of exceptionally talented men and women china painters, many emigrating from Europe, to create this uniquely American style of hand-painted china. This art form quickly grew in popularity and resulted in a company that became one of the preeminent American companies to provide high quality china celebrated–then and now–for its variety of exquisite patterns, elegant gold and platinum borders, and artistic rendering of flowers, fruits, figurals and scenics.

In 1895, the Company moved from Edgerton, Wisconsin, to Chicago. Then in 1941, Pickard moved from Chicago to Antioch, where they began production of their own blanks.

Today, Pickard, Inc., remains a family-owned business proudly producing high quality, hand-crafted china. Each Pickard generation carries on the tradition of producing Ivory and White porcelain for individuals as well as for government and corporate organizations, both domestic and international.