THE RADICAL POTTER

A biography of the English potter whose last name is a byword for fine china.

In this well-researched portrait, Hunt, the director of the Victoria & Albert Museum, explores the life and times of Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795). Following his father’s death, Josiah entered the family pottery trade as an apprentice to his eldest brother. After contracting smallpox, Wedgwood was no longer able to throw clay, so he began focusing on the business side of the company. With the Industrial Revolution came an explosion in the production of consumer goods, particularly tea, and the demand for teapots, cups, and saucers “would provide a perfect spur for the British ceramics industry as it sought to edge Chinese porcelain off the tea table.” Sure that the market for white stone pottery had become saturated, Wedgwood began experimenting with new colors of clay and glazes. His brother was averse to taking risks, and after arguing over the matter, they parted ways, after which Wedgwood went on to create his own empire. As Hunt notes, Wedgwood was “a defining figure of his age,” comparing him to Steve Jobs today. Not only was he radical in his designs, but he was also radical in his politics. Wedgwood was a member of the free-thinking Lunar Society, a group of like-minded men devoted to science and literature. Having “faith in the possibilities of progress,” among his beliefs was the value of vaccinations. Showing solidarity for the leaders of the American Revolution, in 1790, he designed a tea caddy depicting George Washington on one side and a Continental Army soldier on the other. Despite his business benefiting from “the network of aristocratic families whose fortunes were made, or bolstered by, plantation profits,” he was a devoted abolitionist. Even though British consumerism was fueled by the slave trade, he actively campaigned against slavery. As Hunt notes, the purpose of his biography is to help people understand the centrality of Wedgwood in the transformation of Britain. In this, he succeeds.

A captivating portrait of a remarkably innovative man.