Wedgwood legacy, Darwin lineage
people have used pottery for food since ancient times, but it was not until the 17th century that its use became widespread. this was due to the difficulty of producing large quantities of pottery that were both high in quality and uniform in shape and color.
the colors of high-quality singlepiece dinnerware ranged from off white to brilliant white. the pottery industry remained largely stagnant until 1730, when josiah wedgwood entered the field of pottery production in staffordshire, england.
wedgwood’s determination and intelligence transformed the industry forever.
the youngest of his siblings, wedgwood was forced to abandon his formal education at the age of nine and work in the family workshop following his father’s death.
from a young age, wedgwood was captivated by the idea of coloring porcelain, beginning with trial and error, and later advancing to rigorous and meticulous chemical processes. he was intrigued by the challenge of confronting the established standards of the industry — standards that were upheld by his own family.
his brothers were angered by his pursuits, and in 1756 he decided to establish his own workshop. he carefully documented the results of his research and succeeded in developing a method to color all known porcelain at the time using a single color.
the outcomes of his experiments spread throughout europe and were regarded as a major achievement and a significant turning point. the pieces he produced were noted for their simplicity and perfection. smooth, inlaid or decorated with harmonious designs painted on a light background, his products appealed to the aristocracy, who were beginning to move away from extravagant and costly ornamentation.
the high-quality wedgwood sets, whose pieces were for the first time uniform in both color and shape, emerged during the industrial revolution, which contributed to the widespread popularity of his products. this prompted the royal palace in 1765 to commission a set of 86 tea services, specifically for queen charlotte.
driven by innovation and skilled at recognizing opportunities, wedgwood persuaded the palace to allow him to name his collection, ‘the queen’s tableware’, and his request was granted. this, in turn, encouraged wealthy families to seek similar sets.
russian empress catherine commissioned wedgwood to produce complete sets capable of hosting 200 guests, totaling 962 pieces of ‘the queen’s tableware’.
despite his immense wealth and reputation, wedgwood remained a man with strong liberal and democratic convictions, even while maintaining his status and close connections to the european elite.
we will later see how this influenced his daughter’s approach to raising her grandson. the tableware produced by wedgwood remains popular to this day, renowned for its heritage, high quality and distinctive designs.
josiah wedgwood died in 1795, leaving behind a legacy to his daughter susanna, who married sir robert darwin. in 1809, they had a son, charles darwin, who became many times more famous than his grandfather after emerging as one of the greatest scientists in human history.
