California Originals Jars

California Originals started life in 1945 as Heirlooms of Tomorrow, making fine quality porcelain lace figurines. How the company changed directions from those intricate figurines to the brown cookie jars it's became known for is a mystery to me, but the name was changed, the company moved to Torrence California and the production of pottery artware began.

Several companies produced brown wood-grain color jars, but California Originals and Twin Winton were the most prolific. Their finishes are quite distinctive, when it wasn't brown, it was often in a matte finish, often with cold paint.

California Original jars are marked usually on the side, bottom portion of the jar. Several of the jars shown in the gallery have links to their particular mark.