| The making of pottery progressed with the | | | | ironstone china, said to contain ironstone |
| progress of centuries. There are various | | | | slag in its composition and certainly very |
| types of pottery and coated or painted with | | | | strong. The heavy ware, almost unbreakable, |
| different types and styles of decorations. We | | | | was both cheap and showy. It was made in the |
| will see here how pottery has progressed till | | | | form of domestic pieces with pseudo-oriental |
| today. | | | | decoration in vivid blues and reds, and many |
| | | | of the big dinner services are still being |
| Early in the nineteenth century came the | | | | used. Sets of jugs, with handles in the shape |
| introductions of pieces decorated with | | | | of dragons, were made also and are not |
| luster, both silver- and copper-colored, and | | | | uncommon. |
| there was a great variety among the finished | | | | |
| products. Silver luster on a canary-yellow | | | | A style of decoration that is occasionally |
| ground is the rarest, but silver in | | | | seen, particularly on jugs and tankards, is |
| conjunction with under-glaze blue, especially | | | | known as mocha, from a resemblance to a type |
| if the latter is a sporting subject, is | | | | of quartz of that name, and has brown |
| sought after and expensive. | | | | moss-like blotches on it. The stains were |
| | | | made with the aid of tobacco-juice and hops, |
| Whole tea-sets were made at one period, each | | | | and doubtless gave pleasure to the potters |
| piece covered completely with a thin film of | | | | making it. |
| silver luster, and they were a passable | | | | |
| imitation of the real thing for those who | | | | Children were catered for from about 1830 |
| could not afford to buy the genuine metal. | | | | with small plates printed with moral rhymes |
| Copper-lusted pieces have been made since | | | | and other suitable subjects. Many were made |
| about 1800 and production has been continuous | | | | in Staffordshire, but some came from |
| for some 150 years; which explains why so | | | | Stockton-on-Tees, Co. Durham. |
| many 'early nineteenth-century' specimens are | | | | |
| obtainable. | | | | Enoch Wood and John Walton were prominent |
| | | | among makers of figures, many of them of |
| Although cream ware continued to be made, | | | | small size and colored in opaque enamels with |
| white-glazed pottery was developed from 1780 | | | | green predominating. Many of Walton's bear an |
| to compete with porcelain and was produced in | | | | impressed stamp with the name of the maker. |
| great quantities by many makers. At first it | | | | Later pieces, introduced in about 1850, are |
| had decoration printed solely in under glaze | | | | the well-known Staffordshire chimneypiece |
| blue, but later developments included a wide | | | | ornaments in the form of portrait-figures, |
| range of colors. Whole services were made, | | | | often unrecognizable without the name painted |
| and Spode, Wedgwood and Davenport (all of | | | | on the front of the base, ranging from |
| Staffordshire) were among the more prominent | | | | politicians to murderers. |
| of the hundreds of names associated with it. | | | | |
| The earlier blueprinted ware is very well | | | | Besides the other the introduction of |
| finished and some of the patterns are most | | | | ironstone china in the first half of the |
| attractive; a few, including the willow | | | | nineteenth century. There were almost |
| pattern, are still being made. | | | | unbreakable and showy potteries. And |
| | | | potteries were also made to suite the |
| One of the most popular introductions of the | | | | different moods of people in different shapes |
| first half of the nineteenth century was | | | | and sizes as well. |