▁a ▁quar ry ▁in ▁Branch ville , ▁Connecticut ▁to ▁supply ▁the ▁necessary ▁quart z ▁and ▁f eld s par . ▁After ▁two ▁years ▁of ▁experiment , ▁he ▁began ▁to ▁sell ▁a ▁small ▁quantity ▁of ▁his ▁por cel ain . ▁ ▁From ▁ 1 8 6 4 ▁to ▁ 1 8 6 9 , ▁the ▁firm ▁was ▁known ▁as ▁Thomas ▁C . ▁Smith ▁and ▁Company , ▁but ▁the ▁factory ▁itself ▁continued ▁to ▁be ▁called ▁the ▁Union ▁Por cel ain ▁Works . ▁In ▁its ▁first ▁de cade , ▁its ▁products ▁were ▁limited ▁to ▁st ur dy ▁white ▁ch ina ▁pl ates ▁and ▁d ishes ▁for ▁the ▁hotel ▁trade , ▁elect rical ▁ins ul ators , ▁hardware ▁trim ming , ▁and ▁decor ated ▁t iles . ▁However , ▁in ▁ 1 8 7 4 , ▁in ▁prepar ation ▁for ▁the ▁Cent enn ial ▁Ex position , ▁Smith ▁h ired ▁sculpt or ▁Karl ▁L . ▁H . ▁Müller ▁( c . ▁ 1 8 2 0 – 1 8 8 7 ) ▁as ▁the ▁company ' s ▁chief ▁designer . ▁Mu eller ▁then ▁created ▁a ▁wide ▁range ▁of ▁designs ▁for ▁por cel ain ▁pieces , ▁most ▁not ably ▁the ▁Century ▁V ase ▁which ▁was ▁exhib ited ▁at ▁the ▁Cent enn ial ▁Ex position . ▁John ▁Mack ie ▁Fal con er ▁also ▁created ▁designs ▁for ▁the ▁company . ▁ ▁By ▁ 1 9 1 7 , ▁the ▁firm ▁employed ▁more ▁than ▁ 2 0 0 ▁persons ▁in ▁a ▁factory ▁nearly ▁the ▁size ▁of ▁a ▁city ▁block . ▁Its