Grandpa Brad
Friday, November 2, 2007 at 5:18PM 
This is a much belated post, one I've been wanting to write for a while.
The photo above is of my boys (Jacob is on the right, Bradley is on the left) in front a mural that was commissioned by my grandfather, Brad Keeler, for the lobby of his new ceramics factory that was being built in downtown San Juan Capistrano in 1951 or 52. This was taken a couple of weeks ago on a daytrip to the area to visit the mission (the swallows weren't present, but the monarchs sure were! I'll post something later with more on that).
This is the plaque that accompanies the mural, attributing it to the Twin Winton ceramics company, which purchased the plant after my grandfather's death, which was, unfortunately, just before the factory became operational. But my mother has documents that show that he was the one to commission the mural, so I'm tempted to lobby for a replacement plaque with proper attribution. Of course, he didn't make the mural, but I'd like to see it fixed nevertheless.
The stuff he did make was sometimes pretty, but more often pretty campy -- he's best known for his lobster dishes which you can find pretty easily on e-bay.
If you've ever been to my house, you've probably seen these. I collect his work, and don't care if it's chipped or crazed (all of it has pretty significant crazing, a hallmark of the glaze he used). I inherited the big bowl (center), along with some other serving pieces, but have purchased salt & pepper shakers, covered casseroles, as well as other non-lobsterware pieces, my favorite being a tulip-shaped cocoa set. If you ever run across anything with the Brad Keeler sticker or stamp on the base, or even Catherine Keeler (his wife, my namesake, who ran the company for a short time after his death), let me know. I'll be happy to take it off your hands!
Reader Comments (30)
Hello My Uncle worked for Brad Keeler in the late 1940s until Brads passing, the shop was on San Fernando Rd. I have a pig plate that Brad Keeler give. to me, my sister and cousins have lost thers but I still have mine. I too collect his work I also have alot of my Grandmothers, Mothers and my Uncles pieces. I love his chickens . Linda Arywitz
Hello My grandmother, Ethel Elliott, and my father, Richard Vevia, also worked for Brad Keeler in the 1940s. I have several pieces: ginger jars, a lobster serving dish and lettuce plates, some deer, three chickens, a cat ashtray, etc. These are part of the fabric of my memories of my grandmother. I will look for the wall the next time I am in San Juan Capistrano.
I don't have email so a friend found your website for me. I have several pieces of Brad Keeler which are the salad bowl, a 2-sided serving dish with a life size lobster in the center, a small casserole, a gravy boat with spoon, a 3-tiered candy dish and salt and pepper shakers.
I have one Bird on a wood stump.a yellow cockatiel No. 30 on the bottom. A tiny knick on the tip of the front feathered crest. There is crazing. Is this something someone would want?
Yes, I'm sure someone would want it. All it takes is a quick look at ebay to see that there are a lot of Brad Keeler collectors out there. The crazing is normal and is visible on pretty much all of his work. The nick means that it wouldn't sell for as much. For me, I happen to like the ones that are damaged -- I'd rather give a piece a home than see it discarded because of some imperfection, and for me it has sentimental value.
I have recently come across a demitasse set that is in the shape of flowers. I have 8 cups and the pot, would you happen to know what the series name was. It was a wedding gift to a friend in 1947 and has never been used and new with all stickers. I was trying to find any information on sets that keeler created.
My father also worked for Brad Keeler in the 50's. He and my step-mother had a large collection of his pottery.
I remember my Father getting upset with my Mother because he thought she lost the formula for the red glaze Brad Keeler used for he lobsters, roosters, etc.
When my Aunt died my cousin acquired most of her Brad Keeler pottery. Items are deer collection, Flamingo's, roosters, lobster salad platters and much more.
Kathy Ashford
I have a yellow bird on a branch, two green lobster plates and one white lobster plate, and a Siamese cat figurine.
Hey my name's Jennifer Keeler. Brad Keeler's my great grandfather. Phil Keeler is my grandfather (just passed away this July) and I'm Greg Keeler's daughter. I know very few family members so I was excited to find this blog. I've recently started collecting the lobster dishes too and this is how I came across this blog. It's great to see that other family members have an interest in it too!
Hello my name is David; Very sorry for your grandfathers passing.I wish my grandfather was still here.At his market he gave away to his best customers 15 inch high Flamingo's.I had 4,but 2 were lost in the Ca.Northridge Earthquake.I can't find any photo's so far of these birds? Can you help? I was cleaning them today and went on line to ask.Their very delicate birds and think of him when I wash and clean them.Any info would greatlty appreciated. Best Regards David
David, hi. Go to ebay, Worthpoint, Gray Menagerie or the California pottery web sites for pictures and values. Male is usually depicted head up while female is head down. nYou have some jewlws there, take care of them. Stephani
hello my name is joann, I have a lobster serving dish with a cover witha lobster handle. It was from my husband grandmother from the fourtys. Is there any value for this dish? Febuary 2,2010
Hello - I just purchased a lovely pale green dish with two beautiful red radishes affixed on one side of the dish. The dish is stamped Brad Keeler 863....There is crazing , which I just love! It's such a pretty dish!
Best wishes
Hello-I was wondering if someone could help me figure out the value of a Brad Keeler rooster my great aunt left me when she passed away last year.It is about 18 inches tall about 12 to 13 inches long and about 4 and a half inches wide. It is white black and red and in my opinion is absolutely gorgeous. There are numbers on the bottom but they are hard to read I think they say 746. It also has a Brad Keeler sticker on it and a stamp on the bottom. I have looked all over the internet looking for info but have found nothing like it if anyone can help I would greatly appreciate it because this is something I plan on keeping for my grandchildren and I just love it. Thank you.:)
I just found a 2 qt milk pitcher that looks like a turkey with the BBK stamp on the bottom. I have seen the rooster pitcher, but not this turkey pitcher. One small chip on lip near handle and another on base. Very sweet pitcher - I use it for iced tea. It is not bright or campy as you put it but rather tame compared to some of his other stuff. The comb on the turkey is the spout and the whole pitcher is lovely.
Joann - I am certain there is. In fact I have one, but I have no idea what it might be valued at. A good place to get an idea would be eBay.
Fran, Terri -- Thank you for sharing! Those both sound lovely.
Just for reference, though, I don't recommend eating or drinking off of/out of the dishes; one reason they are so incomparable now is that the ingredients that went into the glazes back then are now banned, not to mention the lead that is surely present.
For anyone else who happens upon this post and is interested, I am hoping to start a forum on Brad Keeler and his work, which I love both because he was my grandfather and because they are works of art. I will post a link here when it's up.
Hi Catherine,
I just happened upon your post today while researching some pottery left to me by my grandmother. She had a beautiful demitasse tea set with a pot, 8 cups, and 8 little saucers. The colors are all different - pastel peach, green, blue, and yellow. She treasured this tea set and often brought it out to show me when I was a child.
It was finally given to me yesterday and one of the saucers has the sticker on it that says, "Brad Keeler Artware."
I will be happy to send you a picture of it if you would like.
Kimberli Lengning
hi i have several pieces from the lobster series by brad keeler they are very nice pieces,my mom Anna Hernandez worked for Brad Keeler pottery . But I'm looking for some information my mom has a figurine of santa claus climbing in a chimney with a bag over his shoulder she told me it was a brad keeler it is marked bbk made in usa and has 3numbers the first# is blurred the second# might be a 1 or4 and the last# number is a 0 any info would be greatly apperciated this piece is very precious to me as my mom has passed on and it has special christmas memories. thank you
Hi Roberta,
I love hearing from people who enjoy my grandfather's work, so thanks for contacting me. That sounds like a super piece, and the markings are indicative of a Brad Keeler artwares pieces (bbk stands for Bradley Burr Keeler, his full name). Aside from that, however, I don't have any other information to give you. I would hold onto it for sure, as it sounds like it has a special significance for you because of your mom. I can't speak to what it's worth, but ebay is usually a good indicator of current value (you can look for similar items). What did your mom do for the pottery? I would be interested to hear more about it when you have time.
Hi,
I just came across your blog and wanted to let you know how much I admire your grandfathers work. I have collected his birds for many years and figure I probably have one of the largest collections of his birds in one place.
My collection currently has 112 of his birds in it and I know of at least 2 dozen more that he made but I have never been able to purchase. I also have some of his very early garage pieces that were marked "Bradster". I have started a project to put together a website using the birds I have in my collection (see the www.lakevortex.com". This site will probably take me forever to get together but please let me know if anything I put up is wrong or even if you would like to post articles, pictures, etc.
Hi Tony,
Thanks for stopping by! I'm always glad to hear from people who admire my grandfather's work. Wow, that's a lot of birds! I looked over the website and it looks good. I've heard about the Bradster pieces but don't own any myself, and would love to see photos when you get them up. As I understand it, the Bradster pieces were a joint effort between himself and a pal named Webster, but they didn't keep it up. I believe that those are not the earliest pieces, but are certainly very rare. There are also a number of pieces out there marked Catherine Keeler, my namesake, which were produced by his wife (my grandmother) after his death in an effort to continue the family business. I've bookmarked your website, but do let me know as you get more information up and if I think of anything to include I'll be in touch.
Thanks again!
Cati
Thanks for the fast reply Cati,
His pals name was Jimmy Webster, I actually have 1 piece in my collection signed with his name. I had always thought that the pieces by the two of them were the earliest, made in his garage, and then he split off on his own. What do you believe were his earliest?, and how were they marked, if you know.
Tony -- you could very well be right! I went back to my notes, taken from a very long conversation with my uncle Phil, Brad's youngest brother, who gave me the family and pottery's history to the best of his recollection a couple years before he died. In fact the Webster pieces are the first things noted after marriage, the purchase of a house, etc. I do have some other early pieces but they're not birds, handed down to me by my grandmother Catherine when she died. His earliest pieces *were* made in his garage, but whether anything came before his partnership with Webster is (and probably will remain) a mystery.
Hello. You may be aware that a piece of your grandfather's played a significant role in a season 1 episode of Mad Men. (It was "Red in the Face," episode 1.08.) I run a Mad Men website and was excited when I found an almost identical piece. I ended up buying three--from the Tomato series.
I am working on a post about your grandfather's pottery and finding the piece and so on. I'd be delighted if you'd write to me with any biographical information to inform my readers.
[...] and that’s when things took a remarkable turn. Keeler’s granddaughter, Cati Porter, has a website with pictures of his factory and a few of her Keeler collectibles. So I wrote to Cati, and she [...]
Hello, I came across your site while looking for information about a small Brad Keeler teapot I have. It is small, shaped with a cabbage leaf design. I was hoping you would know the best place to sell this item. I am downsizing, and want this piece to go to someone who will appreciate how special it is. It's one of my favorite pieces.