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.

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.

Search “Wedgwood” in Explore the Collections

Features

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Wedgwood: An introduction

Learn about the history of Wedgwood and how the company evolved through three centuries of design

  1. Watch

    Unboxing some bizarre Wedgwood collectibles

    Join us as we unbox some of the most unusual Wedgwood items ever made
  2. Read

    From refugee to Wedgwood designer: the story of Ulla Goodman


    Discover the emotional, transformative and inspiring story behind this Wedgwood cup and saucer
  3. Read

    Wedgwood's ceramic manufacturing archive

    Discover "one of the most complete ceramic manufacturing archives in existence"
  4. Read

    The Wedgwood anti-slavery medallion

    Discover more about Wedgwood's anti-slavery medallion – a forerunner of the protest badge
  5. Read

    '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
  6. Watch

    Eric Ravilious – British wood engraver and watercolour artist

    Discover more about the life and works of British wood engraver and watercolour artist Eric Ravilious.
  7. Read

    Poor Maria and the Bourbonnais Shepherd – when literature came into fashion

    Find out how books have inspired jewellery
  8. Watch

    On the White Road: Edmund de Waal

    Take a journey into the history of porcelain through extraordinary objects
  9. Read

    Josiah Wedgwood's Portland Vase

    Find out more about the Portland Vase – one of Wedgwood's most well-known ceramic designs

Collection highlights

Show all
  1. painting
    Wedgwood family portrait, oil painting, by George Stubbs, 1780, England
    V&A Wedgwood Collection
    On display
  2. vase
    Portland Vase, by Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, 1793, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England
    V&A Wedgwood Collection
    On display
  3. plate
    'Variations on a Geometric Theme' plate, designed by Eduardo Paolozzi, manufactured by Josiah Wedgwood and sons, about 1970, Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent, England
    On loan
  4. yellow and black oval medallion
    Anti-slavery medallion, by Josiah Wedgwood and sons, about 1787, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, England
    V&A Wedgwood Collection
    Not on display
  5. paint box
    Paint box, manufactured by Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, 1785 – 90, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, England
    On loan
  6. Black and terracotta coloured vase with handles
    First Day’s Vase, made by Josiah Wedgwood and sons and Thomas Bentley, 1769, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, England
    On loan
  7. teapot in the shape of a cauliflower
    Teapot moulded in the shape of a cauliflower, by Josiah Wedgwood and sons, 1765, Stoke-on-Trent, England
    V&A Wedgwood Collection
    On display
  8. coffee pot
    Coffee pot, by Josiah Wedgwood and sons, 1955, Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent, England
    On loan
  9. vase
    Lessore Vase, painted by Emile Aubert Lessore, made by Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, about 1863, England
    V&A Wedgwood Collection
    On display
  10. trial tray
    Jasperware trials mounted on a wooden tray, by Josiah Wedgwood and sons, 1773 – 76, Stoke-on-Trent, England
    V&A Wedgwood Collection
    On display
  11. Detail of brightly coloured bowl
    Detail of 'Fairyland Lustre' bowl, by Josiah Wedgwood and sons, about 1923, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, England
    V&A Wedgwood Collection
    On display
  12. dinner plate
    Dinner Plate for the 'Frog Service', by Josiah Wedgwood and sons, 1773, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, England
    V&A Wedgwood Collection
    On display

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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