Le Mieux China

How come there is no detailed information on the company?
Some claim to be French and factory destroyed during WWII. But there are some hints that it was Chicago based company.
Any clue?

 

http://www.replacements.com/china/LEM.htm

 

Sorry, I didn't read - therefore, I missed you were looking for the history of the company. My bad.

 

It's not in the index of Lehner's. I searched Google Books, hoping it would show up in an old trade journal or magazine ad, but zero, zip, zilch, nada. How mysterious. Can't find my Kovel's.

 

The mark looks mid century to me.

I found this.
Have no idea where they got their info or if it is correct. But it appears more plausible to me than pre-WWII.

http://antiquehaven.blogspot.com/2014/01/lemieux-china-22kt-gold-decorated.html

 

I also found the info from the last link.
It is still strange that there is no sources about who the make was.
Seems like they did quality pieces and probably were in production at least till the 50's. I doubt it was a small workshop, there must have been a factory, some advertising, something ...

 

A couple of the Le Mieux marks on ebay listed items say Made in France inside the bottom of the wreath. I thought maybe an importer, but I also found this anecdote from someone who said her father worked for them in Chicago in the firing room? http://www.instappraisal.com/apprai...r-gold-22-karat-finish-weeping-gold-9-18-tall That sounds more like a decorator, doesn't it?

 

Regardless, it is STUNNING !!!!!

 

I know it's not Pickard, but Alan Reed did a lot of research on Chicago decorators for his book. Maybe you could ask him through the Pickard web site.

 

Did you see this set on ebay? It has Le Mieux China mark but also a Richard Ginori mark (Italy). Which leaves the questions, was Le Mieux the company that made the blanks and other companies decorated them or was Le Mieux the decorating company using other companies blanks. Perhaps both? Maybe they applied the gold since their mark contains the 24K.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LE-MIEUX-CH...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

Here is another set with a double mark with Victoria Czechoslovakia

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Le-Mieux-Ch...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

It would make sense that they were the decorator.
You have pieces with French, Italian, Czech and other countries marks. I doubt that each one of the foreign maker imported blanks from Chicago based company.

The gold encrusted decoration and the maiden transferware is present almost on every piece, so most likely done by the same company.

Look at my two pieces. They have the same decoration but the sugar bowl has more like neo-classical handles and shape, which does not quite much with the more Victorian? shape of the console bowl. I'd think the blanks were done by different companies.

 

My grandmother, who was from the Bridgeport neighborhood in Chicago, had a set of LeMeiux dinnerware. Interestingly, I just saw a post in Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jim.lascola?fref=nf from a man who's grandmother worked at the LeMeiux china company. He posted a photo of his collection (a match), and said his grandmother was a painter there. "My Grandmother Hand Painted each one of these at Royal China/Lemiuex China on Archer Ave and Quinn where Windy City Silkscreening is or was. I Collect it. Some of the silverish circles were painted in Platinum paint my grandmother's dress always smelled like paint fumes I remember as a kid when she came home from work." MY grandmother lived on Archer and Loomis for years. Sounds like a sound solution to your mystery to me!

 

What I can tell you about them is that I have 3 Gold and Platinum plated lamps that were given to my Mother from the owner of Regal China Mr Kravitz. Regal China manufactured all the collectable Beam Bottles. I am not sure if they also manufactured the Le Mieux but it seems plausible to me

 

Yes I knew the owner of Regal China his name was Herman Kravitz, He gave my Mother 3 gold and platinum lamps among a lot of other things, I just was not sure if they were manufactured and painted there.
Thank You