Author: Peggy Kerner

The Art of Icing

The next lecture of the WSB will be, “The Art of Icing: Trailed Slip Decoration in the Work of Harry Barnard, Frederick A. Rhead, William Moorcroft.…and a Few Others”, presented by Jonathan Mallinson, Emeritus Fellow at Trinity College, Oxford. Jonathan will be joining us via video from England on Sunday, January 11, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. ET.

Trailed slip was a feature of much art pottery decoration at the turn of the twentieth century. Used at Doulton Lambeth in the 1890s, where it was likened to cake icing, it was widely developed in Staffordshire in the following decades. The introduction of the ‘squeeze bag’ is credited to Harry Barnard, who came to the Burslem firm of James Macintyre & Co. from Lambeth in 1895, and who moved in 1897 to Wedgwood, where he remained for more than thirty years.  

This talk will consider Barnard’s designs of the 1890s, and the evolution of trailed slip decoration in the work of two artist-potters whose lives intersected with that of Barnard in different ways: Frederick Alfred Rhead, who recruited Barnard’s team of decorators for his own slipware designs, following the latter’s transfer to the Wedgwood tile department in 1899; and William Moorcroft, who succeeded Barnard as Director of Ornamental Pottery at Macintyre’s, and whose innovative experiments in the use of trailed slip were a hallmark of his pottery. The influence of their work can be traced in pottery design throughout the interwar years. This is a story of three designers and a technique, but it is the story, too, of a mode of decoration whose association with pre-industrial Staffordshire slipware and its adoption by designers influenced by European art nouveau, sheds light on the significance of national identity, craft and individuality in ceramic art of this time.     

Jonathan Mallinson is Emeritus Fellow in French at Trinity College, Oxford, where he specialized in the prose fiction, comedy and satire of early-modern France. He has devoted his retirement to the study of British art pottery, and is the author of William Moorcroft, Potter: Individuality by Design, published by Open Book Publishers in 2023, and freely accessible at https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0349

The ZOOM link will be emailed to WSB members the week prior. If you are not a WSB member and would like to partake of all our meetings as well as receive the bi-monthly newsletters, click on the “Become a Member” tab above.

Majolica Mania

19th Century Majolica: It’s all About Fashion

The next lecture of the WSB will be, “19th Century Majolica: It’s All About Fashion” – the story of invention, industry, marketing and fashion in the 19th century, presented by Nicolaus Boston, ‘The Majolica Guru’, ceramics expert, author, curatorial advisor, and dealer. Nick will be joining us via video from London on Sunday, November 9, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. ET.

The 19th century was the beginning, the blueprint for how we live today, and Majolica is a wonderful vehicle to discuss that blueprint. Wedgwood was amongst the top producers of Majolica and compared to others, was sophisticated, of the highest quality and the brightest of glazes. They were prepared to pay the services of top designers such as Christopher Dresser to insure ground breaking and unique majolica shapes.

Unlike most companies at the time, Wedgwood survived the downfall of “Majolica mania” and moved on successfully, relying on the tried and tested production of Jasperware and reinvention of ranges such a Fairyland Lustre. But overall Majolica was a truly 19th century pottery phenomenon in invention, industry, and marketing with plenty of whimsy and wonder, but most of all, just like today, Majolica was all about fashion.

This event will be opened to the public at no charge and the ZOOM link will be published a couple weeks in advance. If you are not a WSB member and would like to partake of all our meetings as well as receive the bi-monthly newsletters, click on the “Become a Member” tab above.

Bits & Pieces

The next event of the WSB is the ever-popular annual Bits & Pieces, when members will share images and descriptions, as well as ask questions of their favorite or recently acquired piece of Wedgwood. This is a virtual session to be held on Sunday, September 14, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. ET. Participants are asked to email images in advance to Peggy Kerner at wsbkerner@gmail.com by September 8. If you are not a WSB member and would like to join in on this meeting, click on the “Become a Member” tab above. The Zoom link will be emailed to all members several days prior to the event.

The Third Annual WSB Summer Social

This year’s members summer event will be held in Mystic, CT, on Saturday, July 19th. The program includes lunch at a local restaurant and viewing of a spectacular Wedgwood collection at a member’s home. There will also be a special private showing for WSB of Wedgwood and related material at the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven, on Friday, the 18th

If you are not already a WSB member, we invite you to become one in time to attend these two Wedgwood-filled days. Simply click on “Become a Member” to join. You will then receive an email detailing the events.