Rörstrand was founded in Stockholm in 1726, but its international breakthrough was only in 1900 when the company exhibited at the Paris World Fair. The factory expanded, moved to Gothenburg, came into hands of Arabia Finland for a short time before it became independent again in 1931. A few years later, the factory moved to Lidköping. During that period, Rörstrand had already established an international reputation with its classic tableware Swedish Grace, designed by Louise Adelborg. From then on, the company decided to work together with artists and designers more frequently, such as Gunnar Nylund, whose designs would eventually lead to mass production.
In 1932 another classic tableware was introduced – Ostindia – commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Swedish East India Company. This tableware is still being produced to this day. In the late 30s, Carl-Harry Stålhane was hired. He experimented with various styles and techniques and had a great influence on the development of Rörstrand's designs up until the 70's.
It was in 1941 that Hertha Bengtson started her career as an artist at the porcelain factory. The services Blå eld and Koka blå she designed, are nowadays considered to be classics. Marianne Westman, who began working at Rörstrand in 1950, would become one of the company's most popular designers. Services such as Mon Amie, Picknick and Pomona sold like hot cakes. It is said that Westman's products generated 45% of the company's turnover. The 50s would become the golden era for the porcelain factory.
Rörstrand was then purchased by the Upsala-Ekeby Group in 1964 and a period had come in which turnover suffered a severe setback, followed by massive redundancies in the early 70s. In 1975, the Upsala-Ekeby Group, consisting of Upsala-Ekeby, Rörstrand, Gefle and Egersund, was taken over by Arabia. In the next years, some other taking-overs occurred until Rörstrand merged with Iittala in 2003/2004. At the end of 2005, the Rörstrand factory in Lidköping closed down and production was relocated to Hungary and Sri Lanka. The Rörstrand museum is currently located on the site where the factory used to be.
