Minton pottery and porcelain factory is a pottery founded in 1796 by Thomas Minton in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. It is said that he was the inventor of the very popular and prolifically produced Willow pattern. In the beginning he made earthenware and soft paste porcelain, but in 1821 Minton began making hard paste porcelain. The design of the first porcelain was simple sprigs of flowers, but with the addition of Leon Armoux to the factory, the wares became much richer. These ornate and sometimes enormous wares were scrupulously marked to show the quality of the factory. They made majolica, pate-sur-pate, and parian wares as well. Art Nouveau was adopted in the 1890's. The high quality factory still thrives today, although it has been bought out by a large conglomerate of companies.