RS Prussia, Germany Decorative China Replacements, tableware

Replacement China in the RS Prussia, Germany pattern 2.

The "RS" in RS Prussia is derived from its founder, Reinhold Schlegelmilch. While his factory enjoyed limited success, it was the work of his two sons, Arnold and Ehrhard that would make the mark bearing his initials famous. While Ehrhard continued to operate the factory in Suhl, Arnold went on to found a second factory in nearby Tillowitz. These two operations produced the majority of their products for export beginning in 1892 up until the beginning of World War I. During this period, most of the pieces exported to the United States bore the mark described above, with Prussia in red beneath. In 1910, the Tillowitz factory began using the all-green "RS Germany" mark, and miraculously continued producing fine China through the Second World War. The original factory in Suhl closed down before the First World War ended.