(NP) not produced

1906 Eva Amalia Stricker born Budapest, Hungary.

1923 Studies painting at Hungarian Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Budapest. Private tutoring by well-known Hungarian painters.

1924 Apprentice to last Master Potter, Guild of Chimney Sweeps, Oven Makers, Roof Tilers, Well Diggers, and Potters, Budapest. First woman to graduate as a journeyman.

1925 Establishes her own pottery studio, Budapest
Visits 1925 Paris Exposition, France.

1926 Honorable Mention, Sesquicentennial Exposition, Philadelphia. Pennsylvania, U.S.
Makes handmade models for new art department of Kispester-Granit factory, Budapest.

1927 Potter, then designer, Hansa Kunstkeramik, Hamburg, Germany.

1928 Designs stage sets for Dadaist theater, Budapest.
Continues painting, Budapest.

1928-30 Designer, Schramberger Majolikafabrik, Schramberg, Germany.

1930-31 Designer, Christian Carstens KG, Steingutfabrik, Germany.
Lives in Berlin, Germany.

1932-37 Lives and works in USSR.

1932 Consultant, Ukrainian Central Glass and Porcelain Trust.
Designer, Artistic Laboratory, Lomonosov Porcelain Factory (later renamed Imperial Porcelain Manufactory), Leningrad, USSR.

1933 Marries Alexander Weissberg.

1934 Designer and founder of Art Department, Dulevo Porcelain Factory, Orekhovo-Zuevo, USSR. Works with artist Petr Leonov.

1935 Artistic Director of Russian China and Glass Trust, USSR.

1936 Arrested on false charges of conspiring to assassinate Stalin, May.

1936-37 Imprisoned for 16 months. Falsely accused of conspiring to assassinate Stalin, Moscow, USSR.

(see Eva Zeisel: A Soviet Prison Memoir)

1937 Released, September.
Joins family members in Vienna, Austria.

1938 Flees Vienna for England.
Divorces Weissberg by proxy.
Marries Hans Zeisel in England.
They emigrate together to the United States with $64.

1939 First commissions:
Miniature tea set, unknown, NYC.
Plaster models, Simon Slobodkin, NYC.
Watches, Hamilton Watch Co., Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Teaches first course in “Ceramics for Industry” Industrial Design Department, Pratt Institute, NYC (1939-53)
Giftware, Bay Ridge Specialty Corporation, Trenton, New Jersey.

1940 Daughter Jean is born.

1942 STRATOWARE dinnerware (with designer/Pratt student Frances Blod), Universal Potteries, Cambridge, Ohio, for Sears, Roebuck & Co., Chicago, Illinois.
UTILITY WARE, displayed at Museum of Modern Art.

1944 Son John is born.

1946 MUSEUM SHAPE dinnerware, MoMA, manufactured by Castleton China, New Castle, Pennsylvania (LP 1946, full production 1949).
New Shapes in Modern China: Designed by Eva Zeisel, exhibition, Museum of Modern Art, NYC. First one-woman exhibition at MoMA featuring Museum Shape.

1947 TOWN AND COUNTRY dinnerware, Red Wing Potteries, Red Wing, Minnesota.
Dinnerware and giftware, Riverside China Company, Riverside, California.
Dinnerware, Butler Brothers, Chicago.
CLOVERWARE, Clover Box and Manufacturing Company (plastic buffet set), NYC.
Perfume bottles, Charles of the Ritz and Richard Hudnut, NYC. (NP)
Picture frames, mail boxes, and tape dispensers, Metal-Craft, Chicago.
Glass syrup dispensers, Federal Tool Corporation, Chicago (widely distributed).

1948 Stainless-steel pot, pan, and kettle with Bakelite handles, General Mills, Minneapolis, Minnesota. (NP)

1949 MUSEUM dinnerware, Castleton China, full production begins.
Toiletries for baby care, prototypes produced by Ohio Potteries in pink and blue glazes (NP)

1949-50 RESILIENT CHAIR, received mechanical patent for her invention of chair mechanism. Very limited production (LP). Presently in the permanent collections of MoMA and Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

1950 RANCH HOUSE tea set, Charm House, NYC.
NORLEANS CHINA dinnerware, for United China and Glass, New Orleans, Lousiana. Later produced by Meito China, Japan.

1951 Rosewood, metal and ceramic giftware, Salisbury Artisans, Salisbury, Connecticut.
Dinnerware set for Sears Roebuck & Co., Mexico. Manufactured by Loza Fina, S.A., Guadalajara, Mexico. Decorations not Eva’s. This set was included in the exhibition El Arte en la Vida Diaria, curated by designer-architect Clara Porset, Mexico City, April 1952.

1952 HALLCRAFT TOMORROW’S CLASSIC dinnerware, Hall China Company, East Liverpool, Ohio. (Widely distributed, at one point considered the best selling dinnerware set in the United States. Initial decorations done under Eva’s supervision.)
SILHOUETTE glassware, Bryce Brothers, Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania.

1953 Hans Zeisel takes position at University of Chicago Law School.
Eva closes New York City design studio, ends teaching at Pratt Institute and moves family to Chicago.
Art Director, A.H. Heisey & Co., Newark, Ohio. Designs several lines of glassware.
EVA ZEISEL FINE STONEWARE dinnerware, Western Stoneware Co., Monmouth, Illinois.

Children’s Dining Set, Goss China: WEE MODERN

Eva designed what became the WEE MODERN children’s ware for her own children in the late 1940s. It consisted of a two-handled mug, porringer-style bowl, and loop-handled dish. The whimsical decal pattern later used on the pieces was not approved by Eva, who had selected solid pastel glaze colors. The set was introduced at the 1953 Chicago China and Glass Market where it was displayed on the Sun Glo Studios table along with other designs. Her commission had been to find a commercially attractive product that could be produced in large, but very low, kilns previously used for the production of ceramic spark plugs. Produced under the stamp of Goss China, neither the exact name of the manufacturer nor the location of the plant are known, possibly a small plant in Chatham, New Jersey, which was owned by the Goss family.

1954 Re-establishes NYC studio.
PRESTIGE GLASSWARE, Federal Glass Co., Columbus, Ohio. (widely distributed). Marketed as “Calvert Lo Ball.”

1955 Kitchenware, Hall China Company, East Liverpool, Ohio.
SOUTH MOUNTAIN STONEWARE, Watt Pottery, Crooksville, Ohio. Named after her New York country home. Decorations by French tapestry artist Michel Cadoret.

1956 HALLCRAFT CENTURY dinnerware, Hall China Company, East Liverpool, Ohio.

1957 HI-FI STONEWARE dinnerware, Hollydale Pottery, South Gate, California.

1958 EVA dinnerware, Thomas and Johann Haviland divisions, Rosenthal AG. Germany.
Dinnerware and space dividers, Manchioli Pottery, Montelupo, Italy

1960-61 Teaches at Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island.

1961 Graphics and logo for The Tea Council, an organization formed to promote the drinking of tea in America. When Hans Zeisel was working with the Tea Council, in preparation for the opening of the Tea Center in midtown Manhattan in April of 1961, Eva was the obvious choice to design the graphics. The organization used the logo she created on its letterhead, literature, and cocktail napkins.

1962 STOCKHOLM glassware, Federal Glass Co., Columbus, Ohio. (widely distributed)

1963 Dinnerware, Noritake China Inc., Nagoya, Japan. (NP)
Dinnerware, Bengal Potteries, Calcutta, India. (NP)

1964 HIGH FASHION giftware & dinnerware, Hyalyn Porcelain, Hickory, North Carolina.
SCHMID IRONSTONE dinnerware & giftware, Nihon Koshitsu Toki Co. (Nikko), Kanazawa, Japan, for Schmid International, Boston, Massachusetts.
RESILIENT CHAIR exhibited, Milan Triennale, Italy.

1965-82 Eva focuses on historical research, writing, and anti-Vietnam War protests and peace movement activism.

The “New York Conspiracy” of 1741

Eva’s main historical project was the controversial New York Conspiracy of 1741. A series of fires had broken out in the winter of 1741 in New York City and a rumor was spread that slaves had conspired to burn down the town. This turned into a mass-hysteria, resulting in the burning-alive and hanging of over 30 slaves and well as a white family of 4. Many victims were buried in the recently discovered African burial grounds in lower Manhattan.

Eva travelled to libraries in the US, UK, Europe and West Indies in search of original material about the “conspiracy.” Her conclusion was that the fires were accidental and that all the slaves were innocent. She showed that the slaves’ false confessions were coerced. The parallels between the 1741 trials and The Stalinist Show Trials that Eva had been caught in, are what attracted her to this project.

In 2019, The New York Historical Society accepted Eva’s 1741 papers into their collection.

1978-82 Designs collapsable CLOSET FURNITURE for small apartments. (NP)

1983 Senior Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts.
Dinnerware and giftware, Kispester-Granit, Budapest, Hungary. Produced in 2009 by Design Within Reach.
Giftware, Zsolnay Manufactory, Pécs, Hungary. (LP)

1984 EVA ZEISEL: DESIGNER FOR INDUSTRY exhibition, Le Château Dufresne, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Montreal, Canada. Accompanying catalog “Designer for Industry” University of Chicago Press. Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) sponsors exhibition tour: Brooklyn Museum, NYC; Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois; New Jersey State Museum, Trenton; Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York; St. Louis Art Museum, Missouri; Flint Institute of Art, Michigan. The exhibition later tours European capitals.

1985 PINNACLE dinnerware for International China Company, NYC.

1987 EVA ZEISEL: DESIGNER FOR INDUSTRY exhibition in Budapest, Hungary.

1988 Visiting Critic, Royal College of Art, London, England.
Honorary Doctorate, Royal College of Art, London, England.

1991 Honorary Doctorate, Parsons School of Design, New School University, NYC.

1992 Hans dies, Chicago.
EVA ZEISEL: DESIGNER FOR INDUSTRY exhibition in St. Petersburg, Russia.

1993-97 Designs wood and glass furniture, including office furniture for Brownstone Publishers. Later sold by Design Within Reach and Eva Zeisel Originals.

1995 Officially “rehabilitated” by Russian Government.
Designs “Recycler” receptacle for storing household recyclables.

Designs display systems and layout of Original Leather Stores for Steven Rappaport

Steven Rappaport, who rented Eva’s guest house in Rockland County from 1990-1995, was well-acquainted with Eva and her design ideas before he commissioned her to designer the interior of his Original Leather Store in New York City’s Greenwich Village. Eva designed display systems and furnishings which included a curved counter space for sales transactions. Discussions went back and forth while Eva measured the length of jackets and coats, and the size of bags, briefcases, and luggage, considering each display area and making careful calculations.

She decided on a cherrywood flexible rack system, with “eagle” shelf supports, placing mirrors behind the shelves. She located a craftsman in North Carolina to build the shelving and a company in New York City to install it. Eva supervised the fabrication and installation, visiting the store every two to three days, ensuring that her work met her exacting standards. Additional New York Stores in Greenwich Village and at Madison and 82nd Street followed, with Eva again creating display areas for each interior.

“The practical response to her work was that my business increased phenomenally,” commented Rappaport. He also noted that his favorite part of the creation process was when eighty-eight-year-old Eva led the way into the basement via a steep ladder under a trap door.

1996 Office furniture (desks, shelves, file cabinets, tables, chairs), Brownstone Publishers, NYC. (LP)
Selected earlier ceramic designs reissued by World of Ceramics, Morganton, North Carolina.

1997 Personal Recognition Award, Industrial Designers Society of America.
TOWN AND COUNTRY dinnerware set reissued and sold by Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC.

1997-2000 New designs, reissues/adaptations of earlier designs, Orange Chicken Gallery, NYC.

1998 Binns Medal for Excellence in Ceramic Art, New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred University, New York. The University features Eva Zeisel Day.

1999 LOST MOLDS AND FOUND DINNERWARE: REDISCOVERING EVA ZEISEL’S HALLCRAFT exhibition, the Schein-Joseph International Museum of Ceramic Art, Alfred University.
EVA vases, KleinReid, NYC.
Eva Zeisel Collectors Club founded by Pat Moore (becomes Eva Zeisel Forum in 2003).

1999-2008 Metal and crystal giftware, lamps, and bowls, Nambé, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

2000 Delegation from Imperial Porcelain Manufactory (formerly named Lomonosov Porcelain Factory), St. Petersburg, Russia, visits Eva, NYC.
Eva travels to Russia, invited by Imperial Porcelain Manufactory; her first visit since her 1937 release from prison.
Begins design for TALISMAN tea set with model maker Georgy Bogdevich, Imperial Porcelain Manufactory.
Hidden medallion of Eva, designed in 1938 by artist, Natalya Danko, discovered in Imperial Porcelain Manufactory.
REIGN Martini Glass, Bombay Sapphire Gin (advertising use only).
Bronze Apple Award, Industrial Design Society of America.
Schramberg tea set reissued and sold by Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC.

2001 Honorary Member, American Ceramic Society
Street in Schramberg, Germany, renamed Eva Zeisel Straße.

2002 Tea Set and Pitcher Set, KleinReid, NYC.
Living Legend Award, Pratt Institute, NYC.
Russel Wright Award for Design Excellence, Manitoga: The Russel Wright Design Center, Garrison, New York.
THROWING CURVES: EVA ZEISEL documentary film, Canobie Films, director Jyll Johnstone.
CAPITAL pen, TALISMAN Desk Pen, SPRING pen and card case, OLIVIA pen, EVA cufflinks, ACME Studios, Kula, Hawaii

2004 Vases and bowls, Marinha Grande Mglass, Marinha Grande, Portugal.
TALISMAN tea service, Imperial Porcelain Manufactory, St. Petersburg, Russsia.
Crystal wine glasses, Nambé, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
RAINDROP Table (cast resin), Dune, NYC.
EVA ZEISEL: THE PLAYFUL SEARCH FOR BEAUTY exhibition, Knoxville Museum of Art, Tennessee (travels to Milwaukee Art Museum, Wisconsin; High Museum, Atlanta Georgia; Hillwood Museum & Gardens, Washington, D.C.). Co-curated by Karen Kettering.
Receives Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary.
Honorary Doctorate, University of Craft and Design, Budapest.
Honorary Royal Designer for Industry, Royal Society of Arts, London.
Publishes EVA ZEISEL ON DESIGN: THE MAGIC LANGUAGE OF THINGS, Overlook Press, NYC.

2005 CLASSIC CENTURY dinnerware issued, Royal Stafford, England. (This set combined pieces from HALLCRAFT TOMORROW’S CLASSIC and CENTURY. Made from original molds.) Crate & Barrel exclusive in U.S.. Later distributed by Eva Zeisel Originals, Boston, Massachusetts.
MAGIC LANGUAGE prints, KleinReid, NYC.
Honorary Doctorate, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island.
Lifetime Achievement Award, National Design Awards, Copper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, NYC.
EVA ZEISEL: THE SHAPE OF LIFE exhibition, Erie Art Museum, Erie, Pennsylvania.

2006 EVA tea kettle, Chantal Corporation, Texas.
PINNACLE set reissued with new mug design, Chantal Corporation, Texas.
Tables, candlesticks, and jewelry trees, Eva Zeisel Originals.
EVA ZEISEL: MY CENTURY exhibition, Bard Graduate Center at the International Art+Design Fair, Park Avenue Armory, NYC.
EVA ZEISEL AT 100: A LIFETIME OF MASTERWORK IN DESIGN exhibition, Pratt Manhattan Gallery, NYC.
EVA ZEISEL: EXTRAORDINARY DESIGNER AT 100 exhibition, Mingei International Museum. San Diego, California. Exhibit travels to Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, California.

2007 GRAND DINING TABLE (wood and glass), Eva Zeisel Originals, Boston, Massachusetts.
EVA ZEISEL COFFEE TABLE (wood and glass), sold by Design within Reach.

2008 ONE-O-ONE dinnerware and vases, Royal Stafford, England for Bloomingdale’s, NYC. Designed when Eva was 101 years old.
EDEN dinnerware and giftware, Nambé, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
LACY X, FISH and DIMPLED SPINDLE rugs, The Rug Company, London, England.
Hanging lamps, Tazza Mia Coffeeshop, Cincinnati, Ohio. Later produced by Leucos USA and Italy.
Reissues 1940’s Porcelain Baby Feeder with spoon and Hall Kitchenware Icebox Pitcher, Neue Galerie Design Shop, NYC.
Brass candlestick series, Eva Zeisel Originals.

2009 Visionary Award, Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), NYC.
Handblown glass bowls and vases, made by Vitreluxe, Portland, Oregon, for Gump’s, San Francisco, California.
Lounge Chair, Eva Zeisel Originals.
GRANIT dinnerware, Design Within Reach. GRANIT line originally designed in 1982 in Budapest, Hungary.
Glass Christmas ornaments, Museum of Modern Art Store, NYC.

2010 LOVERS’ SUITE, LOVERS’ SUITE 2 and TREES prints, KleinReid and Eva Zeisel collaboration based on Eva’s shapes, NYC.
Bird salt and pepper shakers, based on Schmid Ironstone design, reissued by Eva Zeisel Originals, Boston, Massachusetts.

2011 Plexiglas picture frames, Wexel Art, Austin, Texas.
Eva dies, December 30th, Rockland County, New York.

2012 EVA ZEISEL COLLECTION glass lighting, made in Italy for Leucos U.S.A., Edison, New Jersey.

2013 EVA flatware, Yamazaki Tableware, Japan, for Crate & Barrel.

2017 Acoustic felt wall tiles, FilzFelt/Spinneybeck. Designs based on Mancioli space dividers (1957) and tile designs (1996).