Union Porcelain Works

The Union Porcelain Works was founded in Greenpoint New York circa 1854 by a group of immigrant German potters and continued in business until the first quarter of the 20th century. The pottery was purchased just before the Civil War by C. H.. L. Smith and Thomas C. Smith who made translucent bone china by introducing the kaolinic body to the pottery’s wares. Following the war they perfected plain whiteware and began to decorate their work. In the ensuing years they manufactured a variety of art ware featuring white enameled designs and overglaze colors and exhibited at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. In the closing years of the 1800′s the pottery turned to commercial products and was manufacturing porcelain electrical insulators in 1900.