New Orleans Blue and White Street Tile Numbers

Description from Derby Pottery

DIMENSIONS: 4″w. x 6.25″h. Exceptions: number 1 is 2″w. x 6.25″h.

New Orleans Blue and White street tiles are indigenous pieces of history unique to the city  of New Orleans. Beginning in the 1880’s the city of New Orleans has embedded letter tiles in city sidewalk intersections identifying the  two street names. In the more commercial districts of the city you will see the name of a business embedded in front of what was, or still is a storefront, especially in evidence along Magazine Street where our studio and showroom are located. throughout the city, in all the different Wards, house numbers appear using these same fabulous tiles.

The early letter tiles are referred to as the Belgian style tiles, manufactured overseas, and imported to the city. Belgian tile differs from the so called American style tiles in two ways; The font, and lack of a pinstripe groove or shadow line. The American style tiles were originally manufactured by the American Encaustic Tile Company in Zanesville, Ohio, and sold in showrooms in New York City.

Derby Pottery and Tile has manufactured the American style tiles since 2002. Lacking the industrial machinery used to produce the originals, we have invented a process in house which allows us to create the reproduction tiles you see here.