Wedgwood: An introduction
Learn about the history of Wedgwood and how the company evolved through three centuries of design
Wedgwood
Staffordshire potter and entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood (1730 – 95) was a pioneering tastemaker, marketeer and social campaigner. In 1759, Josiah founded his ceramics company which achieved global success and remains in production today. Designs and wares saved by the factory and Wedgwood family grew into one of the most important industrial collections in the world. Comprising over 175,000 works of art, ceramics, manuscripts and photographs, the V&A Wedgwood Collection documents production up to the present day, showcasing innovations in taste and fashion spanning over 260 years.
Read more Read less
From Josiah Wedgwood’s Portland Vase, to designs by Eric Ravilious and Daisy Makeig-Jones, the collection and UNESCO-recognised archives showcase the commercial and design history of Wedgwood ceramics. Following a successful fundraising campaign spearheaded by Art Fund the V&A Wedgwood Collection was gifted to the V&A in 2014.
Collection highlights
-
Wedgwood family portrait, oil painting, by George Stubbs, 1780, England -
Portland Vase, by Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, 1793, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England -
'Variations on a Geometric Theme' plate, designed by Eduardo Paolozzi, manufactured by Josiah Wedgwood and sons, about 1970, Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent, England -
Anti-slavery medallion, by Josiah Wedgwood and sons, about 1787, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, England -
Paint box, manufactured by Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, 1785 – 90, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, England -
First Day’s Vase, made by Josiah Wedgwood and sons and Thomas Bentley, 1769, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, England -
Teapot moulded in the shape of a cauliflower, by Josiah Wedgwood and sons, 1765, Stoke-on-Trent, England -
Coffee pot, by Josiah Wedgwood and sons, 1955, Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent, England -
Lessore Vase, painted by Emile Aubert Lessore, made by Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, about 1863, England -
Jasperware trials mounted on a wooden tray, by Josiah Wedgwood and sons, 1773 – 76, Stoke-on-Trent, England -
Detail of 'Fairyland Lustre' bowl, by Josiah Wedgwood and sons, about 1923, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, England -
Dinner Plate for the 'Frog Service', by Josiah Wedgwood and sons, 1773, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, England
Features
The Wedgwood anti-slavery medallion
Discover more about Wedgwood's anti-slavery medallion – a forerunner of the protest badge
Wedgwood's ceramic manufacturing archive
Discover "one of the most complete ceramic manufacturing archives in existence"
'Campanula' tea and coffee set by Paul Follot for Wedgwood
Discover a rare art deco tea and coffee set designed by Paul Follot for Wedgwood once belonging to Karl Lagerfeld
Josiah Wedgwood's Portland Vase
Find out more about the Portland Vase – one of Wedgwood's most well-known ceramic designs
Poor Maria and the Bourbonnais Shepherd – when literature came into fashion
Find out how books have inspired jewellery
Header image: Detail: 'First edition' copy of the Portland vase, factory of Josiah Wedgwood, 1790, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, England. Museum no. WE-8000-2014. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London