Beyond Pots - Wedgwood at 250

I teach a course on the history of work, and since I am ever vigilant to prevent the nap monster from invading my class, I am always looking for interesting and related material. The Wedgwood pottery works was noteworthy in the history of manufacturing because Josiah Wedgwood organized his workers so that they specialized in particular skills. This greatly increased the quality of his products.
Wedgewood is celebrating 250 years in business and they are showcasing the techniques behind their finest work on their web site.

It is easy to forget the artisans behind these works since many of us have a relative or two who has a few pieces of jasperware that we mentally reduce to the category of expensive knick knacks. The methods behind some of their most famous pieces including the Portland Vase and Queen's Ware Orange Bowl were significant advances. Within his lifetime, Wedgewood would replicate in clay famous classical pieces that had previously been made in stone or glass and elevate pottery to a highly collectable art form.

The designs were innovative for their time and are still distinctive. Very impressive work, especially considering how many of these designs were created in the 1700’s. Check out the links on the Techniques page. Pretty fancy knick knacks.