A Samson figure of a woman with a flower basket, Paris, France 20th Century.

The company Samson was founded by Edmé Samson (1810-1891), who began his career by making service and set piece replacements in the late 1830’s. In 1845 he opens the firm Samson et Cie at 7, Rue Vendome in Paris. His intention was to supply reproductions of ceramics on display at museums and private collections. The company specialized in copying 18th Century designs from factories such as Meissen, Sévres, Chelsea, ‘Worcester, Derby and 18th Century Chinese and Japanese porcelain. The pieces were not intended as forgeries but some appears as that today since they are so masterfully done that they sometimes are hard to separate from the real thing. The firm exhibited at the International Exposition 1867 and the Exposition Universelle 1889.