In 1872 New York–born Ephraim Offner, a crockery salesman in New Orleans, partnered with other experienced ceramics dealers to sell china, glassware, crockery, and other “house furnishings” at low prices under the firm name E. Offner & Co. By the late 1870s, Offner was an agent for Haviland & Co., the largest exporter of French porcelain to the American market in the South. In 1885 the store had a special display of china in the window, showcasing a porcelain dinner service decorated specifically for the king of Carnival and an elaborate game service bearing the pattern Haviland custom designed for President Rutherford B. Hayes.
Postcard depicting interior of E. Offner’s
ca. 1910
The Historic New Orleans Collection, gift of Charles L. Mackie, 1981.317
Dinner plate
between 1894 and 1915; porcelain
by Haviland & Co. (Limoges, France)
E. Offner & Co., retailer (New Orleans)
The Historic New Orleans Collection, gift of Catherine Capdevielle Musso, 2015.0254.6
Dinner plate
between 1888 and 1896; porcelain
by Haviland & Co. (Limoges, France)
E. Offner & Co., retailer (New Orleans)
The Historic New Orleans Collection, gift of an anonymous donor, 2016.0208.1.1
Dinner plate (mark)
between 1888 and 1896; porcelain
by Haviland & Co. (Limoges, France)
E. Offner & Co., retailer (New Orleans)
The Historic New Orleans Collection, gift of an anonymous donor, 2016.0208.1.1
E. Offner & Co. receipt
1906
The Historic New Orleans Collection, gift of William W. Rosen, 93-12-L.1