Small Bowl “Pitkin & Brooks” – Manufacture Elite Works (Bawo & Dotter) – Limoges, c. 1900–1914

Small antique bowl in fine Limoges porcelain, produced by Elite Works, the Limoges establishment of Bawo & Dotter, and marketed for the American market.

The bowl features an elegant, gently scalloped shape, accentuated by a broad gilt border embellished with a succession of small raised bead-like details. The interior is adorned with delicate hand-painted polychrome floral decoration, including pink roses, white flowers and mauve blossoms, accompanied by soft green foliage. A small floral bouquet sits at the centre, while a floral garland extends around the rim.

The underside bears two particularly interesting marks: “ELITE / L / FRANCE” in green and “P & B / Limoges / France” in red. The Elite mark is associated with the production of Bawo & Dotter / Elite Works in Limoges, while P & B identifies the American importing company Pitkin & Brooks, which specialised in importing and marketing French porcelain. The combination of these two marks illustrates the distribution of Limoges porcelain in the American market at the turn of the 20th century. The P & B / Limoges / France mark is generally dated to 1900–1914, placing this piece within that period.

Thanks to its small size, the bowl can be used as a small catchall, a decorative dish or as part of a tea service, for example to hold a used tea bag after brewing. It can also accommodate a small treat or a few small objects. Its delicate floral decoration and gilt border make it an attractive decorative object in its own right.

Porcelain bearing the red “P & B Limoges France” mark consists of fine Limoges porcelain intended for the American market and imported, marketed or decorated for the Pitkin & Brooks company, a well-known Chicago business.

Founded in Chicago in 1872 by Edward Hand Pitkin and Joseph Brooks, shortly after the Great Chicago Fire, Pitkin & Brooks initially operated as a wholesaler specialising in tableware, lamps and earthenware. As American demand for high-quality porcelain grew in the late 19th century, the company developed a substantial business importing European whiteware. Some pieces were subsequently hand-decorated in its own Chicago studio, while others were commissioned directly from European manufacturers.

As Pitkin & Brooks was not a porcelain manufacturer, it sourced pieces from established porcelain makers, including those in Limoges. Items bearing multiple marks are therefore frequently encountered, combining the stamp of the manufacturer that produced the porcelain blank with that of Pitkin & Brooks. Manufacturers that may be found on such pieces include Tressemanes & Vogt (T&V), William Guérin (W. G. & Co.), Haviland and Elite Works.

Porcelain associated with Pitkin & Brooks reflects American tastes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Pieces from this period often feature hand-painted floral designs—roses, violets, poppies and other flowers—sometimes accompanied by the signature of the decorating artist. Fine gilding also plays an important role, accentuating rims, raised details and scalloped forms. Today, these objects appeal to collectors of American antiques and French porcelain for the quality of their porcelain and the craftsmanship of their hand-painted decoration.

Decorative porcelain associated with the Chicago studio is particularly representative of the early decades of the 20th century, with many pieces dating from around 1900 to 1917. Pitkin & Brooks nevertheless continued its commercial activities in tableware until it was liquidated in 1940.