Antique "Mosaic Tile Co." Rose Orchid Tile-In Ceramic Bathroom Soap Niche or Dish with Grab Bar - Circa 1920

This is an antique tile-in pink ceramic soap niche with grab bar made by Mosaic Tile Co. circa 1920. We believe the color is "Rose Orchid". This is a tile-in installation. This is a piece from the Mosaic "All-Tile" Suite, see photo for details. This suite is described as follows:

"Mosaic All-Tile Bathroom Accessories are made of the same materials and in the same glazes and colors as Mosaic wall tiles, thus eliminating all uncertainty in matching the surrounding wall. The complete line providing an accessory for every requirement is illustrated on this page. Sizes are the regular tile sizes, enabling them to fit into the jointing of the tile wall. There is also a selection of dowel and flange type fixtures."

To view the antique Mosaic product catalog CLICK HERE.

The Mosaic Tile Company was incorporated in Zanesville, Ohio in 1894. They specialized in octagonal, hexagonal, and square floor tiles as well as artistic tile murals. They later specialized in vitreous and semi-vitreous floor tile. The company was open for 73 years and was dissolved in 1967. By the 1920's, the company had become one of the largest producers of ceramic tiles in the country. They ended up acquiring the Atlantic Tile Manufacturing Company of Matawan, NJ. The company had a distinctive glazing style that you can recognize by the satin or matte finish as well as more artisanal finish that isn't totally opaque like other tile companies. The term they used for that tile was "faience" and it refers to the plastics process that was used to apply the glaze to the ceramic tile. Mosaic Tile Co stopped producing the faience tile in the late 1950's, unable to compete with Japanese and other foreign companies.