Dundee, Illinois · Artware from 1914

Haeger Potteries

A long-running Illinois pottery known for colorful glazes, sculptural forms, lamps, animals, and the influential Royal Haeger line.

The story

From brick and tile to American artware.

David Haeger established a Dundee clay business in 1871. Under Edmund Haeger, the company moved decisively into art pottery, introducing artware in 1914 and promoting it nationally through ambitious displays, including a working pottery at Chicago’s Century of Progress exposition.

Royal Hickman joined Haeger in 1938 and helped launch Royal Haeger. His fluid, sculptural designs—and the wide range of dramatic glazes applied to them—remain central to the company’s collector reputation.

Research starting points

Haeger company catalogs and dated advertisements are the strongest tools for matching forms.
Royal Hickman designs should be checked against documented production examples; not every sleek Haeger form is his.
Use sold prices only after matching size, glaze, form number, condition, and mark.