I don't know if this is the correct venue for this question.

My husband and I bought an antique plate with pictures of various San Francisco landmarks: Post Office, Mission Dolores, Union Square, Ferry Building, Hotel St. Francis, Music Stand - Golden Gate Park. It was made in Staffordshire, England by a firm called The Rowland & Marcellus Co. Specially designed & imported by Himmelstern Brothers, San Francisco, Calif.

Knowing when Himmelstern Brothers was in business would help us date the plate.

Any information you could provide would be most helpful.

-- Karen Allan (dallan@houston.rr.com), August 11, 2002

Answers

The pottery firm is spelled "Rowland & Marsellus" -- by any chance was the importer "Himmelstein" instead of "-stern"?

Rowland & Marsellus were in business from 1893 -1938, so your importer would have been working during the same time period. The entry for Stoke-On-Trent potters for Rowland & Marsellus: http://www.netcentral.co.uk/steveb/allpotters/844a.htm

I don't find entries for Himmelstein or Himmelstern Brothers. Anybody got an old city directory?

-- Rosa (rosadebon@yahoo.com), August 11, 2002.

Himmelstern Bros Crockery was at 718 Mission Street in the 1920s-30s.

Good luck in your research.

-- Kurt Iversen (iversenk@aol.com), August 14, 2002.

I also have a plate made by Rowland and Marcellus. It depicts landmarks in Newark, NJ. Must be approxiamtely 100 years old, as it belonged to my great-grandmother. Was wondering if you had any luck in your search for information that might be useful to me. Thanks

-- jason d (jason.antiques@incamail.com), November 21, 2002.

I have a beautiful vase with the Rowland and Marcellus Co.,Staffordshire England stamped on bottom. Vase is blue and white with picture of beautiful lady. Bottom left has her name, but it is smeared, but what I can read says The Countess(i think) --svenor. the bottom right says Sir Thomas Lawrence PRL..anyone with any more information regarding this piece?

-- Carol Haddad (hug4u2nt@aol.com), October 25, 2003.