Hollydale Pottery was founded by the husband and wife team of Otto and Jessie Hupp, who opened their first pottery shop in Harbor City, California in 1935 (a date of 1934 is mentioned in several early directories as Hollydale's 'established' date). Demand for colored dinnerware was high and the Hupps soon moved their operations to Hollydale, California to accommodate the increased demand. Otto Hupp previously worked as superintendent of Poxon Pottery (later known as Vernon Kilns) where he started working in 1923. Previously he had been employed in East Liverpool, Ohio at the Homer-Laughlin China Company.
Dinnerware was reportedly produced at Hollydale Pottery from 1935 to 1957, but early trade directories mention only colored pottery and artware as Hollydale product. In 1938, the firm was listed at 1750 Center Avenue in Hollydale with 2 periodic kilns for bisque and 1 tunnel kiln for glaze with a rated capacity of 1.3 million pieces. By 1943, the address had changed to 11708 Center Avenue and the first mention of a trade name product produced by the firm (that is, known to this researcher) was Capistrano pottery—solid colored dinnerware. A 1947-1948 directory lists the company with the same kiln type, count, and capacity. Otto J. Hupp was listed as owner, general manager and ceramic engineer.
The first mention of Malibu Modern dinnerware has been found in a distributor’s ad from December 1948. While no colors were mentioned, it was reported to be available in "7 coastline colors." The first actual mention of color names is in an ad from February 1950, which mentioned that Malibu Modern was available in 4 colors: Grotto Green, Driftwood Red, Mist Grey, Chartreuse. In April of that same year, an interesting ad for the 15" Malibu Modern Lazy Susan was offered and marketed to bachelors so they could entertain simply and quickly with “warm colors for fireside meals, cocktail parties, [and] outdoor barbecues.”
A report in October, 1950, listed the leading colors as "Sea Spray, Mist Gray, and Sunlit Yellow." One Malibu Modern brochure actually refers to yellow as Golden Yellow and gray as Mist Grey. "Sea Spray" remains a mystery. No mention of this color has been found elsewhere, which leads one to wonder if this was actually Grotto Green. To complicate matters further, one company ad to the trade, in May 1950, indicated that Seal Brown and Sunshine Yellow had been added to the lineup to bring the total number of colors to six. The brochure name for brown was Sable Brown and, as mentioned before, Golden Yellow for yellow.
It may be that the 1948 distributor's ad anticipated more colors than actually were available, since there was a definite progression from 4 colors to 6 colors mentioned in the Registered California Pictorial—a magazine targeting wholesale buyers.
The Registered California Pictorial reported in 1951 that the "charming Mrs. Jessie Hupp of Hollydale Pottery graced the television screens of CBS recently when she presented the Hollydale Canister Set for a permanent prop on the 'California Living with Mercedes Bates' show." The full set offered by the firm included fourteen traditionally-styled items decorated with a sketch of a Dutch windmill and a contents label in a script type-face. Large canisters for tea, sugar, coffee, flour, rice, and cereal and smaller canisters for mustard, ginger, pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon were presented along with a large vinegar and oil cruet-canisters.
Hollydale's new offerings for early 1951 also included two new patterns, one "Merrie Dutch"--a windmill and Dutch boy and girl motif--in blue or red on white and featured some of the Malibu Modern shapes along with special shapes for the line. The pattern was created to work in both "modern and provincial" homes. The other pattern shown at the trade shows was "Malibu's 'Ming'"
In March of that same year, Hollydale introduced two more new patterns: Malibu Sea Flower (a stylized floral), Mailbu Off Shore (a stylized fish and net pattern), and Cock-o’ the Walk (stylized rooster in a tree). A captioned full page picture in the Registered California Pictorial read: “Variety is the key to freshness in table settings. MALIBU MODERN Mix-Match sets enable us to have this variety with little expense.” The two new patterns were designed to be used with Malibu Modern solid colors. A 20-piece set was available for $9.85 to the trade.
The six colors available in Malibu Modern's 1951 offering were described as: brown and yellow for the fall, Grotto Green and Chartreuse for Christmas--like holly for a front door, and red and grey "to add warm color."
By the end of 1951, Hollydale introduced four new patterns of Malibu Modern to the trade: California Spring (modern tree with stylized bird), Malibu Hitching Post (aka The Hitching Post, a stylized bygone days home scene with horse and carriage: note cup is boxy and not Malibu style), California Farmer’s Market, and California Harvest. Cups and plates were decorated and designed to mix and match with solid colors. The new, “moderately priced” patterns were shown at the 1952 Pittsburgh china trade show.
As the fates would have it and not an infrequent occurrence in the pottery business, two of Hollydale's buildings were destroyed by fire on March 10, 1952. One account reported that the fire was believed to have started from a gas leak supplying the pottery ovens. By June, a new building was underway and production was reportedly expected to recommence in September. The new structure was a 22,000 sq. ft. concrete and steel building. The company now had 34,000 sq. ft. under roof, including its building used in packing and shipping.
By the end of the year, the company was displaying a new shape—the Malibu Modern Television Plate and Cup. Buyers were invited to visit the new plant showroom at 11708 Center Avenue, Hollydale, California. Also featured at this time was a Malibu Modern casserole in a black metal stand with ‘v’ shaped legs, complete with glass candle warmer. The lid of the casserole and body of casserole were mixed colors. Malibu’s new Black and White colors were introduced at this time.
In February 1953, the firm announced that getting production back on track was slower than anticipated, but that they were now in full production. By May, a coffee pot and warmer (candle included) was introduced to the trade.
As of this writing, ten solid colors are accounted for in Malibu Modern. Eight names are taken from brochure information and 2 (Black and White) from a trade ad: Grotto Green, Driftwood Red, Chartreuse, Mist Grey, Golden Yellow, Sunset Pink, Desert Purple, Sable Brown, Black, and White.
The company developed a stronger vitreous body in 1955, which it was able to use in the production of ovenware. New glazes were formulated by Larry Hupp, production chief and Chuck Crook of Los Angeles Chemical. Hollystone was hailed as oven proof stoneware that was “gay-simple-durable.” Available in Hickory (brown), Smoke (blue) and Evergreen (green), this new line featured a translucent matte glaze overlying its decoration. Kashmere, another Hollydale line, featured pastel matte glazes and was prepared especially for the January 1955 Pittsburgh Gift Show.
In 1957, Eva Zeisel introduced Hi-Fi for Hollydale. The line was an oven-proof ware, fired at very high temperatures that featured shapes like those in her bird-inspired Monmouth line of stoneware. Hi-Fi was reported to be available in 4 solid colors and 3 patterns. The names of three of the patterns and four of the solid colors are withheld in deference to the Eva Zeisel book by Pat Moore and her team of authors that will be coming out. No date or details yet on its publication date, but I have learned that this book will be crammed pack full of new research discoveries and useful information. (The book will, undoubtedly, be THE definitive work on Eva Zeisel’s dinnerware and designs for years to come--an absolute must for collectors and curators.)
Hi-Fi was introduced by a full-page color ad in the Sunday home magazine of the Los Angeles Times. Eva Zeisel explained to one mid-century audience that Hi-Fi actually was an abbreviation for ‘hi-fired’, a process that makes the stoneware oven-proof and almost vitrified, like china. Clay for this line came from “native” clay from Riverside County, 50 miles from Hollydale.
Despite the outstanding Hi-Fi dinnerware production, competition from cheap imports and depressed economic conditions forced many potteries to close their doors by 1958. Hollydale Potteries faced this same period of hard times with a change in business plans. In 1959, Hollydale was no longer listed in China, Glass, & Tableware's Red Book directory. That same year the Malibu Lamp Co. was born, formed by Jessie and her son Lawrence. Otto Hupp died in 1962.
The firm’s lamps were cast from molds and created using a one-fire process. Only native California body materials from the Southern California Minerals Company of Los Angeles and glaze materials from W. Paul Award, Inc. of South Pasadena were reportedly used in the lamps’ manufacture.
Jessie Hupp was the firm's lamp designer. She had played an active role in the design of dinnerware at Hollydale Potteries. She also personally handled sales, most notably at the Los Angeles Furniture Mart. The firm did a great deal of contract work as well, specializing in matching lamp glaze to colors in carpets and drapes.
By 1963, the plant moved to larger quarters and now boasted 9000 sq. ft. The firm employed eight persons who were able to turn out 500 lamps per day. Jessie was quoted as having remarked that every week you had to design new lamp models—because one week one style might be in and the next week it would be out. She was continually creating new lamp designs and bodies.
"Adaptability, self-reliance, and efficiency of operation" were reported to be the three key components of Malibu's success.
See also:
http://modish.net/malibu-modern-hollydale-potteries-brochures
http://modish.net/malibu-modern-hollydale-potteries
http://modish.net/favorites-recent-finds-14
http://modish.net/favorites-recent-finds-16
This history remains a work-in-progress. If you have information to contribute, by all means, please let us know what you know!
Question....
If Malibu Modern was introduced in 1948.....and Eva didn't design "Hi-Fi" for them until 1957.....I wonder how the similarity in the creamer and sugar shape for Malibu Modern can be explained?
The Zeisel shape first shows up in the Riverside line, right? Which also was introduced in the late 1940s early 1950s.
If they "borrowed" the shape design....I wonder what her feelings were when she noticed it?
Eva's Riverside production
Eva's Riverside production predated Malibu Modern by a year or more, best I can figure. The designs were different thematically in that the idea of Malibu Modern was very flattened vertically and appeared bottom heavy. Riverside was the opposite with rounded bottoms that gave the illusion of floating and the ability to wobble.The tops on the cream and sugar definitely seem Eva inspired, though not identical.
Malibu Modern and question about Eva
My father is Larry Hupp, son of Otto and Jessie Hupp (the founders of Hollydale Pottery). I can't comment on the postings about Eva except to say that after the Hollydale fire, my parents went to work for her for a time. One correction to the article above is that my grandfather, Otto Hupp, actually died in 1962 vs. in the 50's. My father was the designer of the glazes and I currently have the Dutch canister set referenced in the article. I would love to have the lazy Susan, just like the one that sat on my dinner table during my growing up years.
Hollydale Pottery
Thank you for this information! I will change the article.
Are there any surviving papers from Hollydale Pottery? Also, have you been in contact with Pat Moore?