| Josiah Wedgwood who was born in 1730 and died | | | | from this new material and she gave him |
| in 1795 came from a long line of potters, he | | | | permission to call it Queen's Ware). Queen's |
| himself was the 12th child of potter Thomas | | | | Ware is a cream coloured lead glazed |
| Wedgwood, whose own father and grand father | | | | earthenware and this durable china is made |
| were potters also. | | | | from a mixture of flint and white clay. |
| | | | After gaining permission from Queen Charlotte |
| At the age of 6 Josiah would walk 7 miles to | | | | to name this product Queen's Ware he began to |
| school every day as his mother was determined | | | | style himself as "Potter to Her Majesty" and |
| that he would have a good education, but at | | | | Queen's Ware became such an enormous success |
| the age of 9 his father died and he left | | | | and the name of Wedgwood was spread across |
| school to become an apprentice at the family | | | | all of Europe. |
| business under his brother Thomas. | | | | |
| | | | Then in 1768 Josiah came up with his second |
| Then at the age of 12 he contracted | | | | innovation in the pottery field and he |
| smallpox's which unfortunately led to him | | | | developed a new fine black porcelain which he |
| being confined to his bed for months and | | | | named Black Basalt. He found that by using |
| during this time he spent a lot of it reading | | | | this fine grained stoneware he was able to |
| and improving his mind. Due to the smallpox | | | | produce copies of the Etruscan pottery that |
| Josiah was left with a weakened knee and this | | | | have recently been excavated in Italy and yet |
| meant he was unable to operate the potter's | | | | again as with the Queen's Ware this new |
| wheel used for throwing the pots and instead | | | | innovation proved to be a huge commercial |
| he spent his time improving his skills in | | | | success. You will find that Black Basalt |
| relation to modeling the clay used. | | | | surface is smooth and lustrous and comes with |
| | | | a purple-black sheen to it. In fact the |
| By his early 20's Josiah formed a partnership | | | | Wedgwood factory was finding it very |
| with one of the most influential English | | | | difficult to keep up with the demand for all |
| potters of the time, Thomas Whieldon. With | | | | things made from this material such as |
| Whieldon's help Josiah was able to practice | | | | candlesticks, medallions, tableware and |
| learning how to use glazing, bodies, shapes | | | | vases. |
| and colours in his work. Then in 1759 his | | | | |
| dream came true when 2 relatives of his | | | | The third real major innovation with which |
| leased him a property called Ivy House and | | | | Josiah Wedgwood will probably be most |
| where he was able to start his own pottery | | | | remembered for is the production of Jasper |
| business. However, he was lucky to marry a | | | | Ware and which has been described in the |
| distant cousin, Sarah Wedgwood which gave a | | | | ceramics and pottery world as one of the most |
| large boost to his business because of the | | | | important inventions in the history of |
| size of the dowry presented by her father at | | | | ceramics since the discovery of porcelain. |
| their wedding. | | | | It took Wedgwood many years of experimenting |
| | | | to perfect the design of this unglazed |
| Unfortunately as the years went by the knee | | | | stoneware which has the ability to be both |
| which had been weakened by smallpox became | | | | delicate and durable and is able to take |
| ever more troublesome and Josiah was | | | | colours evenly across its surface. In fact |
| eventually forced to have it amputated | | | | you will find that Jasper Ware can be made |
| without anesthetic. Then in 1766 he moved | | | | from almost any colour, however the most |
| his family to Etruria in Staffordshire and | | | | famous ones are both pale or dark blue and |
| made this the base for his factory and new | | | | white. With this new material the Wedgwood |
| home. | | | | Factory was able to produce an astonishing |
| | | | amount of objects from the smallest tea cup |
| In 1782 because Josiah was a keen thinker, | | | | to of all things a grand piano. A good piece |
| scientist and innovator he perfected an | | | | of Jasper Ware will usually have a bas relief |
| instrument that was able to the measure the | | | | applied to the sides, which are often in |
| heat in the kilns used by potters and on the | | | | imitation of the classical Greek motifs you |
| basis of this work he was elected as a member | | | | seen on early pieces of Greek pottery. |
| of the Royal Society in 1783. | | | | |
| | | | It certainly seems that Josiah Wedgwood got |
| One of the first major innovations that | | | | it right when he designed the Jasper Ware as |
| Wedgwood introduced was his development of | | | | it has now been in production for over 200 |
| Queen's Ware (he presented a tea service to | | | | years and the methods used to produce have |
| Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III made | | | | hardly changed in all that time. |