Carl Schneider’s Erben or Heirs

Q: Could there really be a company called “Carl Schneider’s Heirs”? I have a bisque figure of a young girl and my mother says that is the maker’s name. I think it must be the name of the person who gave it to Grandma.

A: It is a strange name, yet there was such a company, no doubt the heirs Carl Schneider named in his will. The name in German is Carl Schneider’s Erben. Mr. Schneider was part of Unger, Schnieder & Cie (company), a factory that made porcelalin, figurines, doll heads, religious items and household dishes from 1861 to 1887 in Thuringia, Germany. The company closed in 1887 and went to the heirs. The heirs’ company seems to have closed in about 1972.