It was an extremely interesting talk. Everyone knows about Wedgwood pottery, but I expect few people know much about the man himself, including the fact that he was lame, due to a leg being amputated as a result of an abscess behind the knee. But that didn't stop his enormous artistic and scientific output, nor his constant travelling to and from London.
Starting work as a young child as an apprentice to his older brother Thomas, Josiah quickly showed his abilities as a potter, despite not being able to work the foot pedal of the wheel due to the after effects of smallpox. As a result he concentrated on designing pottery, where his artistic skills soon showed.
Josiah later set himself up in business, and transformed the pottery industry, industrialising the processes used, and incorporating his inventions to make his pottery better and more attractive. Soon he was receiving orders from royalty, not just in this country, but from places like Russia.
Although working conditions in factories at that time were awful, Josiah tried to improve them and make life easier for his employees. One of his most important inventions was the pyrometer for measuring the very high temperatures in the kilns during firing. Previously this had been a dangerous and inaccurate operation.
In his time, Josiah Wedgwood was the most famous potter in the world, and his blue and white designs are still recognizable today.
No comments:
Post a Comment