WM guerin & co Limoges marks

About William Guérin Limoges

William Guérin’s porcelain business began in Limoges in 1872 when Guillaume, known as William, Guérin-Lésé succeeded Lebon & Cie at Faubourg Montjovis. He expanded the operation in 1877 by buying Léopold Dubois’s factory in rue du Petit-Tour. The firm combined porcelain manufacturing with decoration and became a substantial exporter.

Its output included table services, serving pieces and decorative porcelain. White porcelain blanks were an important part of the trade, particularly for the American market. Decoration could be applied by the factory or by another decorating business or individual china painter. This accounts for pieces carrying both a green initials mark and a fuller name stamp, sometimes accompanied by a retailer’s name. Guérin’s sons William and André joined him in the company in 1903.

In 1911 the business absorbed the neighboring Pouyat concern and became Guérin et Cie. William died in 1912. The company was dissolved in 1920 and its shares sold to Bawo & Dotter; the Guérin Pouyat Elite name followed in 1921. The combined operation continued using the associated names. The factory closed in 1932.