Edmé Samson (1810-1891) was founder of the French porcelain company bearing his name.  Samson porcelain copied or produced imitations of 1ith century European, Chinese and Japanese designs.  During the 19th century, the market for antique fine china exploded as did the Samson factory production.  Some of the ways a Samson piece might be distinguished from the originals are the use of hard-paste rather than soft paste porcelain, glossier finishes, heavier decoration and color variances.  Samson pieces were often marked, but not always.