Antique “American Encaustic Tiling Co.” White P Cap Molding Subway Trim Tile

This is an antique “American Encaustic Tile Co.” white subway accent ceramic tile 2-3/4″ x 1-1/2″ x 1-1/2″. The American Encaustic Tile Company (AETCO) was founded in New York City in 1875. In 1892, AETCO opened a new factory in Zanesville, New Jersey, which employed as many as 1000 people. It was thought to be the largest tile manufactory in the world, and the company also had factories in California and New Jersey. In addition to dust-pressed encaustic floor tiles and utilitarian wall tiles, AETCO produced decorative art tiles designed by renowned ceramicists including Frederick Hurten Rhead, the creator of Fiestaware, and Herman Carl Mueller, who later founded Mueller Mosaic Co. in Trenton, N.J. The Zanesville factory went out of business in 1935 and, in 1937, reopened as the Shawnee Pottery.