The porcelain industry began in France in 1767, soon after the discovery of the true kaolin clay in Limoges, France. It was there that David Haviland, an American, relocated in 1842 to start his own company and the great Haviland tradition we know today.

In the beginning, David Haviland designed his creations with the American market in mind. Fortunately, he met painter and sculptor Felix Bracquemond and appointed him to head his studio. During this period, the studio employed the great talent from such artists as Gauguin, Ribiere, Dufy, and Cocteau, drastically changing the direction of Haviland designs and firmly establishing Haviland pieces as works of art, more than mere dinnerware.

      Because the china was hand-painted, often with custom-designs, and because fine Haviland pieces have been produced for over 150 years, there are literally thousands of patterns. In 1950, an American, Arlene Schleiger, published the first volume of "200 Patterns of Haviland China". She devised a method of numbering patterns. Her son, Richard R., made drawings of each blank and pattern. This work enabled matchers to catalogue the patterns and organize their inventory. By the time of her death in 1983, Mrs. Schleiger had published five volumes cataloguing 1,000 patterns.

     Theodore, like his father and Charles, was equally committed to artistic innovations. His elaborate decoration programs and tableware shapes and forms were very detailed. His oldest son, William, joined the company in 1903 and took over the company in 1919 after the death of his father, assisted by two brothers-in-law and a brother. Under William's direction, the company produced many fine Art Deco pieces and marketed to the art-sophisticates in Paris as well as to Americans, which helped him survive the Depression and World War II.

     During World War II, William Haviland and his brothers-in-law purchased all designs, trademarks, and rights of the former Haviland and Company of Charles Haviland which had been liquidated in 1931. William retired in 1957, succeeded by his son, Harold. In 1961, William's son, Theodore became President and his son Frederick became the manager of the New York office. Both retired in 1972. In 1987, the company was acquired by a financial and industrial company, FIDEL. One of the FIDEL shareholders, Mr. Dominique de Coster, bought the Haviland Company in 1988 and has strengthened the once family-owned and family-managed company, continuing the traditions that made the Haviland name synonymous with quality.