Wedgwood Manufactory

The Wedgwood Manufactory has been producing ceramics in Staffordshire, England, since 1759. Founded by Josiah Wedgwood (1730–1795), a potter from a long line of potters, it became one of the most influential ceramic operations in history. Wedgwood couldn't work the wheel himself after childhood smallpox damaged his right knee. That limitation pushed him toward design, chemistry, and business instead, and he turned out to be better at all three.

His innovations came fast. Queen's Ware (a refined creamware) earned royal patronage from Queen Charlotte in the 1760s. Black Basalt gave him a stoneware that could imitate ancient Greek vases. But his greatest achievement was Jasperware (1775): an unglazed stoneware, typically in the famous "Wedgwood blue," with white relief decorations creating a cameo effect. It took over 10,000 experiments to get the formula right. His reproduction of the ancient Roman Portland Vase in jasperware (1790) was a technical and artistic triumph.

Wedgwood was also a prominent abolitionist. His "Am I Not a Man and a Brother?" medallion, showing a kneeling enslaved person, became one of the most powerful symbols of the anti-slavery movement. The manufactory opened its Etruria factory in 1769, dedicated to Neoclassical ornamental wares. Over 260 years later, the brand (now part of Fiskars Group) still produces many of Josiah's original formulas. Collections are held at the V&A in London, the British Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum.