Antique AETCO White Ceramic Tile-in Robe or Towel Hook

This is a porcelain tiled-in hook in a white gloss glaze. It is a style which is similar to a strop hook shape - which could be its original use. This is marked AETCO 553 on the tiled-in post.

The American Encaustic Tile Company, also called AETCO or AE (1875-to at least 1945),was founded in Zanesville, Ohio in 1875. There was also a manufacturing plant in Los Angeles that was used to make some of their products. It was one of the most distinguished American makers of household adornments, as well as one of the largest tile producers of modern times. AETCO's wares found their way into countless American houses and public buildings. AETCO provided "artistic" tiles of a very high order of design and execution for innumerable front porches, vestibules, halls, and fireplaces while, at the same time, it helped to convince Americans of the merit of tiled bathrooms and kitchens. The firm closed in 1935 and was then reopened in 1937 as the Shawnee Pottery.