Grueby & Co.
Active 1897-1919

Founded by William H. Grueby (1867-1925), a practicing ceramist who became fascinated by the matte glazes he saw on French pottery exhibited in Chicago at the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893. He returned to Boston, opened his own business, and spent five years perfecting his own matte glazes, which he introduced on vases in 1898. Grueby perfected a variety of colors, including yellow, aqua, and pink. But it was the Grueby green that became a sensation.

At the 1900 Paris Exposition, Grueby won two gold medals and one silver medal, winning over some pieces of Rookwood pottery. It achieved renown in America at the 1901 Pan American Exposition in Buffalo. By 1905 Grueby pottery was available at the Tiffany Studios in New York where clients selecting furniture for an entire room could see it all assemlbed on a trial basis in one of the studios provided for that purpose.

Gustav Stickley collaborated on joint exhibits of his furniture and Grueby's pottery at trade fairs. He also frequently showed the Grueby vases and lamps in his magazine. The result was that Grueby's designs were widely copied, with mass-produced versions being offered at lower and lower prices. Financial problems led Grueby into bankruptcy in 1909. He reformulated the company and continued to make tiles and architectural ceramics for more than ten years after that.

A line of lamps paired Tiffany shades with Grueby ceramic vases. One such lamp sold at auction in June 1999 for $286,000. Besides the originals by Tiffany, there were many look alikes available from other sources at somewhat lower prices.