Wedgwood (Josiah Wedgwood and Sons Ltd.)
Foundation date: 1759
Function: Pottery manufacturers
Works
Dates are usually the year a work was exhibited so may differ from date of production.
New entries have been made each time a work was exhibited due to a lack of evidence about the state, medium or edition shown.
Created Basalt Bust
1910 (Presumed)
Created Basalt Bust
21 June 1910 - 1910 (Presumed)
Exhibitions, Courses, Meetings and other Events
Organized Josiah Wedwood and Sons Ltd Factory Exhibition, 1943
1943
Organized Wedgwood Bi-Centenary Exhibition (Nottingham Castle Museum), 1931
1931
Presumably organised with Wedgwood.
Institutional and Business Connections
Collaborated with James Hinks and Son
1875 (Circa) - 1880 (Circa)
Collaborated in the late 1870s on domestic oil lamps: see Reilly and Savage, 'The Dictionary of Wedgwood' (1980), p. 188.
Associated People
Apprenticed Albert Arthur Toft
1883
Listed as a modeller in the 'List of Hands on Works', 1883 (Wedgwood Archives). The artist was living/based in Etruria, Staffordshire. No end date for employment is given [summary].
See also 'Birmingham Sculptor', Birmingham Mail, 10 October, 1925, in 'Birmingham Biography', vol. 12, (1 December 1924-16 February 1926), pp. 125-126; this article notes that 'as a youth he [Toft] was apprenticed to the famous firm of Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, at Etruria, as a modeller for pottery'.
Designers included Walter Crane
1867 (Circa) - 1888 (Circa)
See Reilly and Savage, 'The Dictionary of Wedgwood' (1980), p. 103.
See various photographs in the Wedgwood Museum Digital Archive database of designs, primarily for Queen's Ware vase decoration, by Crane from c. 1860-1869.
See also various letters between Crane and Wedgwood from c. 1867 t0 1871, relating to the decoration of vases, etching, modelling, etc. [The Wedgwood Manuscripts, reference number E31-23877-23891].
Designers included Benjamin Edward (or Evans) Spence
1867
Design produced for Wedgwood in 1867. This was modelled by William Beattie: see Reilly and Savage, 'The Dictionary of Wedgwood' (1980), p. 323.
Designers included Millicent Jane Taplin
1937 (Circa) - 1957 (Circa)
Directors included John Edwin Goodwin
Art Director [see Haggar (1953), p. 28; no dates are given].
Directors included Cecil Wedgwood
1884 (Circa)
Listed as Director in Wedgwood's 'Roll of Honour', 1914-1919.
Directors included John Edwin Goodwin
1902 - 1934
See Reilly and Savage, 'The Dictionary of Wedgwood' (1980), p. 173. See also Haggar (1953), p. 28. Designer of pots, vases etc. and decoration for these objects; see a number of photographs in the Wedgwood Museum Digital Archives.
Employed Edward Davis
1860 (Circa)
Produced a bronze figure of Josiah Wedgwood in 1860 for the entrance to Stoke on Trent railway station: see Reilly and Savage, 'The Dictionary of Wedgwood' (1980), p. 118.
Employees included Benjamin Tittensor Carter
See Haggar, 'Dictionary' (1947), unpaged; listed as an 'Assistant Designer', no dates are given.
Employees included James Astbury Hammersley
1844 (Circa) - 1845 (Circa)
Hammersley either employed at Etruria or modelled designs for Wedgwood during this period: see Reilly and Savage, 'The Dictionary of Wedgwood' (1980), 182.
See also a photograph of two Portrait Medallions of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in Jasper, which are recorded as being originally modelled by Hammersley in 1844 {reference no. MED133].
Employees included William Beattie
1850 (Circa) - 1864 (Circa)
Designed models for Parian production: see Atterbury and Batkin 'Dictionary of Minton' (1990), p. 250. Described in Reilly and Savage, 'The Dictionary of Wedgwood' (1980) as a modeller for Wedgwood, employed at Etruria from 1856 to 1864 [summary].
Employees included Thomas Greatbatch
11 November 1851 - 1883 (Presumed)
Listed in the 'Hiring Book 1837-1892' as a modeller, mould maker and figure maker. Employment is recorded for one year. Salary is recorded as 4 shillings per day [summary]. Listed again in the 'List of Hands on Works' (1883) as a mould maker, and as living/being based in Newcastle, Staffordshire.
Employees included Edward Locke
11 November 1851 - 11 November 1852 (Presumed)
Listed in the 'Hiring Book 1837-1892' as a modeller, mould maker and figure maker. Employment is recorded for one year. Salary is recorded as 6 shillings per day [summary].
Employees included Hugues Protât
1851 (Circa) - 1863 (Circa)
Gained comissions from Wedgwood: see Wilkinson 'Ceramic Artists' (2007), p. 120. Went to Wedgwood as a modeller in 1858 and continued to design for Wedgwood until he returned to France in c. 1871: see Reilly and Savage, 'The Dictionary of Wedgwood' (1980), p. 290.
Employees included Edmund Saul
11 November 1851 - 11 November 1852 (Presumed)
Listed in the 'Hiring Book 1837-1892' as a modeller, mould maker and figure maker. Employment is recorded for one year. Salary is recorded as 5 shillings per day [summary].
Employees included Henry Bentley
11 November 1851 - 11 November 1852 (Presumed)
Listed in the 'Hiring Book 1837-1892' as a figure maker. Employment is recorded for one year. Salary is recorded as 4 shillings per day [summary].
Employees included Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse
1851 (Circa)
Modelled a figure 'Charity' for Wedgwood which was exhibited at the Great Exhibition, London, in 1951: see Reilly and Savage, 'The Dictionary of Wedgwood' (1980), p. 76.
Employees included Edward William Wyon
1851 (Circa) - 1859 (Circa)
Modelled figures and busts: see Reilly and Savage, 'The Dictionary of Wedgwood' (1980), p. 396.
Employees included William Edge
21 April 1852 (Probable) - 7 December 1855 (Probable)
Listed in the 'Hiring Book 1837-1892' as a modeller, mould maker and figure maker. Employment seems to be recorded between these dates although the hand written notes are unclear in the source [summary].
Employees included James Baker
1853 - 18 June 1859 (Presumed)
Listed in the 'Hiring Book 1837-1892' as an apprentice figure maker. Employment is recorded between these dates. Salary is recorded as beginning at 4 (presumably) shillings per week, rising to 5 in 1855 and to 6 to the end of the contract [summary].
Employees included Tito Clemente Ristori
22 December 1857 - 15 December 1862 (Probable)
Listed in the 'Hiring Book 1837-1892' as a Majolica and Porcelain Maker. Employment is recorded as starting on this date and as being possibly extended until 15 December 1862. Salary is recorded as beginning at £200 per year in 1857, rising to £250 in 1858 and to £300 for every year thereafter [summary].
Employees included Joseph Birks
1867 (Circa) - 1875 (Circa)
See Haggar, 'Dictionary' (1947), unpaged.
Employees included Simon Birks
1867 - 1874 (Circa)
See a single page letter from Josiah Wedgwood to Simon Birks dated 25 May 1867. The letter discusses Birks forthcoming employment as a modeller, and states that the company cannot employ his son becasue they already have an apprentice [see The Wedgwood Manuscripts, Wedwgood Archives, E49 29545]. See also a hand written note book with works by Simon Birks and Joseph Birks that were produced while the artists were employed at Wedgwood, and details of salaries, dated 1871-1874 [see The Wedgwood Manuscripts, Wedwgood Archives, E49 29547].
Employees included W. Adams
19 November 1868 - 1872 (Circa)
Listed in the 'Hiring Book 1837-1892' as a maker of plaques and moulds. Employment is recorded between these dates. The artist is listed in the source as 'William Adams': it is probable although not certain that this is the same artist [summary].
Employees included Frederick Alfred Rhead
1870 (Circa) - 1883 (Circa)
See Atterbury and Batkin 'Dictionary of Minton' (1990), pp. 294-295, who give dates of employment between c.1878-1883. See also a number of photographs of 'Pate-sur-Pate Vases' dated c. 1870-1879 in the Wedgwood Museum Digital Archive, reference no.s EVASE36-40.
Employees included Elles
1872 - 1873
Listed as a modeller in a 'List of Hands' from 1872 to 1873 (Wedgwood Archives).
Employees included Rowland James Morris
1873 (Circa)
Worked at Wedgwood concentrating on majolica ware [see Wilkinson, 'Ceramic Artists' (2007), p. 105, and Copeland 'Parian Copeland's Statuary Porcelain' (2007), p. 91].
Employees included Charles Toft
1877 (Circa) - 1888 (Circa)
Employed as Chief Modeller: Atterbury and Batkin 'Dictionary of Minton' (1990), p. 311, give the dates of his employment as 1877 to 1888, Reilly and Savage, 'The Dictionary of Wedgwood' (1980), p. 338, give 1872 to 1889.
See also a number of photographs of 'Pate-sur-Pate Vases' dated c. 1870-1879 in the Wedgwood Museum Digital Archive, reference no.s EVASE36-40, described as having been designed by 'Frederick Rhead and Charles Toft'. See also in the Wedgwood Digital Archive photographs of 'Moulds and Blocks', figure designs (c. 1880-1889)(reference no.s MOULD25-27) and a modelled portrait medallion (in high relief) of Geoffrey Chaucer c. 1880 (no. MED203).
Employees included Thomas Mellor
1880 (Circa)
Made inlaid ware in the 1880s at Wedgwood: see Reilly and Savage, 'The Dictionary of Wedgwood' (1980), p. 237.
See a photograph of an Earthenware Vase, Lid and Stand c. 1880, inlaid and enamelled by Mellor in the Wedgwood Museum Digital Archive [reference no. EVASE5].
Employees included Thomas Hulme
1883
Listed as an 'Ornamental Ware Potter' in the 'List of Hands on Works', 1883 (Wedgwood Archives). No end date for employment is given [summary].
Employees included William Lovatt
1883
Listed as a modeller in the 'List of Hands on Works', 1883 (Wedgwood Archives). The artist was living/based in Newcastle, Staffordshire. No end date for employment is given [summary].
Employees included Henry Till
1883
Listed as a modeller in the 'List of Hands on Works', 1883 (Wedgwood Archives). The artist was living/based in Etruria, Staffordshire. No end date for employment is given [summary].
Employees included John Willdigg
1883
Listed as a modeller in the 'List of Hands on Works', 1883 (Wedgwood Archives). The artist was living/based in Etruria, Staffordshire. No end date for employment is given [summary].
Employees included Thomas Woolner
1899 (Circa)
Modelled portrait medallions for Wedgwood: see Reilly and Savage, 'The Dictionary of Wedgwood' (1980), p. 395.
Employees included A.E. Austin
1904 (Presumed) - 1923 (Presumed)
Listed as a modeller in the 'List of Hands', 1923 (Wedgwood Archives). The artist's date of 'engagement' is given as 1904 and the list was produced in 1923.
Employees included Herbert Hampton
1910 - 1911 (Circa)
Modelled two portrait medallions for Wedgwood: see Reilly and Savage, 'The Dictionary of Wedgwood' (1980), 182.
See two photographs of these Jasper medallions of Edward VII and George V in the Wedgwood Museum Digital Archive, both of which are recorded as being originally designed by Hampton in 1910 [reference no.s MED134, 149].
Employees included Arnold Austin
1914 (Circa) - 1947
Listed as a modeller in the Wedgwood 'Roll of Honour' 1914-1919.
Described in Reilly and Savage, 'The Dictionary of Wedgwood' (1980) as 'modeller at Etruria and Barlaston. He modelled a bust of Josiah Wedgwood taken from the monument in Stoke-on-Trent Church' [summary].
Dates of employment as head modeller at Wedgwood are given in an article in Wedgwood Review, vol. 4, no. 4, Sept. 1967, p. 9 (Wedgwood Museum Digital Archive), as 1927 to 1947. See also in the Wedgwood Museum Digital Archive a photograph of Austin at work in the studio in 1930-1939 (reference no. EWP36) and in c. 1940-1949 on a soup tureen (no. BARLPAB2/12)
Employees included E. A. Tittensor
1914 (Presumed) - 1919 (Presumed)
Listed as a Potter in Wedgwood's 'Roll of Honour' 1914-1919.
Employees included W. Allman
1914 (Presumed) - 1919 (Presumed)
Listed as a Potter in Wedgwood's 'Roll of Honour' 1914-1919.
Employees included F.J. Ellis
1914 (Presumed) - 1919 (Presumed)
Listed as a Potter in Wedgwood's 'Roll of Honour' 1914-1919.
Employees included J. Flint
1914 (Presumed) - 1919 (Presumed)
Listed as a Potter in Wedgwood's 'Roll of Honour' 1914-1919.
Employees included A.H. Bentley
1919 (Circa)
Described in Reilly and Savage, 'The Dictionary of Wedgwood' (1980) as a modeller at Wedgwood, Etruria, and a maker of vases and medallions [summary].
Employees included J. Barlow
1920 - 1923 (Presumed)
Listed as an apprentice modeller in the 'List of Hands on Works', 1923 (Wedgwood Archives). Start date of employment is given and the list was compiled in 1923 [summary].
Employees included Anna Zinkeisen
1924 (Circa)
Modelled the plaques for Wedgwood in 1924: see Reilly and Savage, 'The Dictionary of Wedgwood' (1980), pp. 397-398.
See photographs of plaques 'Sun and Wind', 'Adam' and 'Eve' all of which are dated c. 1920-1929, in the Wedgwood Museum Digital Archive.
Employees included John Rattenbury Skeaping
1926 (Circa)
Produced a number of animal figures for Wedgwood. See Wedgwood Photograph Albums 'Queensware Record' which includes photographs of the following works all of which are undated: 'Duiker' (Lying), 3460',
'Kangaroo', 2469' [summary].
See also Reilly and Savage, 'The Dictionary of Wedgwood' (1980), p. 318, who record that the first of numerous animal figures was produced in 1926.
See the Wedgwood Museum Digital Archive for a large number of photographs of animal figures produced by Skeaping beginning in 1926. This archive also includes photographs of pattern and shape books showing Skeaping's designs for the animal figures: for example, Wedgwood Shape Book No. 3 (probably began in 1913), pp. 64-65, records six designs by Skeaping: 'Duiker', 'Tiger', 'Falow Deer', 'Polar Bear', 'Duiker Lying', all of the shapes are entitled 'Model by Skeaping, Oct 1927' [database reference no. WSBC20-3/33]. The archive also includes a photograph of a letter from Speaking to Felton Wreford dated 2 Feb. 1927 in which he discusses sending photographs for modelling animals to 'Major Wedgwood' [reference no. MUSGRAPH50].
Employees included Norman Wilson
1927 (Circa) - 1962
Became Works Manager at Etruria in 1927, Production Director in 1946 and joint Managing Director in 1961: see Reilly and Savage, 'The Dictionary of Wedgwood' (1980), p. 390.
Retired from his 'executive duties' in 1962: see 'Wedgwood Review', vol. 2, no. 10, March 1963, p. 8. This article 'Au Revoir: not goodbye' states that Wilson joined the Etruria factory in 1927 at the age of 25 and that 'a few years later he became general manager and in 1936, with Mr Josiah and the late Mr Tom Wedgwood, planned and built the present factory at Barlaston. He served in the Second World War in the Royal Artillery and returned in 1946 as Production Director [summary].
Employees included Keith Murray
1930 (Circa) - 1959 (Circa)
Produced animal figures for Wedgwood. See Wedgwood Photograph Albums 'Queensware Record' which includes photographs of the following work: 'Monkey Group' 3458' (undated) attributed to Murray.
Primarily a designer/modeller of jugs, vases etc. See a number of photographs of works by Murray in the Wedgwood Museum Digital Archive including: an undated advert 'Designs by Keith Murray. Wedgwood' which pictures vases, jugs, boxes, ash trays etc. (reference no. WADV91); a photograph in the Harold White Photograph Album no. 4, p. 35, of vases and bowls etc. (no. HWPAB4/35), dated 1940-1949; a photograph of Murray in the studio c. 1930-1939 (no. PORW38). Photographs of works, advertising material, letters and other sources in this archive for Murray date from c. 1930 to the late 1950s. There are no records of animal figures in the digital archive.
Employees included Roy Austin
1934
Apprentice modeller at Wedgwood under his father Arnold Austin from 1934. Became chief modeller in July 1967: see an article in Wedgwood Review, vol. 4, no. 4, Sept. 1967, p. 9 (Wedgwood Museum Digital Archive).
Employees included Richard Louis Garbe
1938 (Circa)
Two figures 'Boy on a Shell' and 'Syren' were reproduced by Wedgwood: see Reilly and Savage, 'The Dictionary of Wedgwood' (1980), p. 163.
See three photographs of figures and a vase with cupid in the Wedgood Museum Digital Archive; the works are undated but are entitled 'Syren', 'Cupid on Shell' and 'Cupid Vase'; all were Queen's Ware [reference no.s QWF20-22].
Employees included Arnold Machin
1939 (Circa) - 1977 (Circa)
Modelled figures. Known particularly for his models for Queen's Ware: see Reilly and Savage, 'The Dictionary of Wedgwood' (1980), p. 225.
See numerous letters from the 1940s and photographs of his Queen's Ware figures in the Wedgwood Museum Digital Archive: for example, a photograph of 'The Thrower', dated 1941, a Queen's Ware hand painted figure. There are also a number of undated photographs of terracotta busts and figures by Machin and photographs of the artist.
Employees included Eric Owen
1947 - 1975
Atterbury and Batkin 'Dictionary of Minton' (1990) records that Owen left Minton in 1947 to become chief modeller at Wedgwood. Reilly and Savage, 'The Dictionary of Wedgwood' (1980), state that Owen was chief modeller and sculptor for Wedgwood from 1946 to 1967 and then worked as a freelance modeller at Barlaston factory from 1967 until his death [summary].
An article in the Wedgwood Review, vol. 4, no. 4, Sept. 1967 (see Wedgwood Museum Digital Archive, reference no. WWREV4 4/9) entitled 'Retirement of Erice Owen' records Owen joining Wedgwood as 'chief sculptor and modeller in 1947 having served his apprentice at a Stoke tile factory and having been head modeller at the Minton Works for twenty-five years'. The article states that he retired in July 1967, but continued work on a 'part-time basis' from this date.
See also a number of articles in the 'Wedgwood Review' and photographs of various works (jugs, teapots, portrait medallions etc.) that were designed/produced by Owen for Wedgwood: note that the photographs date from c. 1953 onwards all held in the Wedgwood Museum Digital Archive [summary].
Employer of Harry Barnard
1897 (Circa) - 1933 (Circa)
Described in Reilly and Savage, 'The Dictionary of Wedgwood' (1980) as joining Wedgwood at Etruria in 1897 where he decorated bone china, jasper and majolica with his 'gesso' technique. He became manager of the tile department in 1899. In 1902 he moved to London to become a sales manager and returned to Etruria in 1919. 'He was given the special task of expanding the Musuem' and he made vases. 'In 1927 Barnard made the largest piece of Wedgwood ware ever produced': this was a basaltes panel for Beeshy's English China Store at Ridgway, Ontario. From 1931 he lectured on Wedgwood around the country and designed his own pieces [summary].
See photographs taken from the scrap book 'Harry Barnard Slipware Notebook' c. 1900-1909, the diary 'My trip to the West' c. 1928 (detailing his lecture tour to America), the journal 'Successful Additions' c. 1928 (detailing a holiday in London and Somerset) and the 'Wedgwood Bicentenary Scrapbook' c. 1930 (containing photographs of press cuttings and photographs from the bicentenary celebrations).
Employer of James A. Austin
1904 - 1927
Described in Reilly and Savage, 'The Dictionary of Wedgwood' (1980) as a 'modeller at Etruria' [summary]. Dates of employment are provided given in an article in the 'Wedgwood Review', vol. 4, no. 4, Sept. 1967, p. 9; Austin is decsribed as 'head modeller' between these dates [summary].
Employer of Victor Skellern
1923 - 1959 (Circa)
See 'Wedgwood Review', vol. 1, no. 6, March 1959, p. 2, in the Wedgwood Museum Digital Archive. Skellern is described as having been employed at Wedgwood since 1923 and becoming Art Director in 1934. See also in this archive photographs of his designs: for example 'Wildflower Pattern - Tea Ware Display', 1945 [refernce no. C&TD109], and a photograph of the artist in the studio c. 1940-1949 [no. HWPAB1/5]. Designed many patterns for tea wares.
Students included Simon Birks
1867 (Circa) - 1875 (Circa)
See Haggar, 'Dictionary' (1947), unpaged.
Teachers included Glenys Barton
1976 (Circa)
Invited to become artist in residence at Barlaston: see Reilly and Savage, 'The Dictionary of Wedgwood' (1980), p. 35.
See a number of photographs of the artist (many are undated) and her works including busts etc. (dating from c. 1970-1979).
Worked with John Bell
Modelled figures that were reproduced in Parian, no dates are given: see Atterbury and Batkin 'Dictionary of Minton' (1990), p. 251.
Sources
Education Certificates, c. 1870s to 1940s
Etruscan Bread Winners, Photograph Album, 1898
September 1898
Great War Roll of Honour, 1914-1919
Unpaged.
Letter from Josiah Wedgwood to Simon Birks, 25 May 1867
25 May 1867
Single page letter.
Letters between Walter Crane and Wedgwood, c. 1867-1871
List of Hands on Works, 1883
1883
pp. 1-11.
List of Hands, 1872-1873
1872
Unpaged.
List of Hands, 1923
1923
Unpaged.
Ninth Annual Exhibition of the Society of Staffordshire Artists, 1943
March 1943
p. 11.
North Staffordshire Arts Society. Catalogue of the Fourteenth Exhibition of Pictures, 1910
21 June 1910 (Presumed)
p. 20.
Notebook with works by Simon and Joseph Birks, 1871-1874
pp. 1-99.
Personnel Records, 1917-1925
1925
Unpaged.
Pottery Company Newscuttings, c.1949-present Stoke Local Archives Collection
See various articles dating from 1949 onwards listed in the index to the newscuttings collection under 'Wedgwood, Josiah and Sons Ltd.' [summary].
The Dictionary of Wedgwood
1980
pp. 1-414.
The Wedgwood Museum Digital Archive
Wedgwood Photograph Albums 'Queensware Record', c. 1940-1950
Unpaged.
Wedgwood Photograph Albums, c. 1940-1950 Wedgwood Museum and Archive Collection
Unpaged.
Wedgwood Processes Employing Women and Girls, Etruria, 1913
1913
Unpaged.
Citing this record
'Wedgwood (Josiah Wedgwood and Sons Ltd.)', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011 [http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/organization.php?id=msib4_1225116743, accessed 24 Sep 2023]
