Chapter V (2)

“The English patent was very early introduced to the firm of
Minton and Boyle, of Stoke-on-Trent. Mr. Minton took a lively
interest in it, but not so Mr. Boyle. Mr. Prosser sold the
half part of the English patent to Mr. Minton. Arrangements
were made for the prompt commencement of making glazed tiles,
tesseræ, and buttons, at Messrs. Minton and Boyle’s works. Two
work-rooms were given up to Mr. John Turley, engineer, who at
first placed six button presses in one, and a large tile-press
in the other, and commenced making white glazed tiles (6 in.)
and buttons in these works in August, 1840. Prior to this
time, white glazed or Dutch tiles (6 in.) could be bought in
the London market for less money than paid to the journeyman
potter for making this article at Stoke. The demand for white
glazed tiles was soon very great, and has subsequently become
a staple article of manufacture in most potting districts by
this process. Buttons, tiles, and tesseræ continued their
progress in numbers manufactured until 1843, when, on March
8th, the process of making tesseræ was exhibited by Mr. Turley
at the Society of Arts, London--Lecture by Cowper; Paper read
by Blashfield--and 290 boxes of buttons, three dozen in each,
given away at the doors. March 11th, 1843, the same press
and process was exhibited by Mr. Turley at the Marquess of
Northampton’s soirée, as President of the British Association--a
brilliant gathering, at which were present Prince Albert, the
Duke of Wellington, Sir Robert Peel, a number of bishops, and
about thirty foreign princes. The late Prince Consort took so
much interest in the process, that Mr. Prosser and Mr. Minton
decided that a description of the process and a drawing of the
press as then seen at work should be prepared forthwith, and
presented to his Highness, which was done, and presented on
the 15th of March, 1843. This paper, with copy of drawing of
the press, was reproduced in Dr. Ure’s ‘Dictionary of Arts and
Manufactures,’ edited by Robert Hunt. After this introduction
to the Society of Arts and the British Association, Mr. J. M.
Blashfield, Digby Wyatt, and Owen Jones, by their designs and
favourable influences, brought the geometrical floor tile with
its many colours, in combination with the encaustic floor tile,
into extensive use in the rebuilding of churches, noblemen’s
mansions, and other public buildings.

“In August, 1840, he commenced making buttons and tesseræ with
six presses, and continued progressing until December, 1841,
when twenty-five presses were at work; September 5, 1842,
sixty-two presses at work; and at March, 1844, ninety presses
at work, with ninety women and one hundred and eighty girls.
The girls working half-days and at school half-days--one girl
being required to place on setters for firing the produce of one
press. The first six months of 1844 the firm received orders for
27,123 great gross, and sold 22,519 great gross. Infringements
were now rife in various directions. Most of them were stopped
on receipt of notice. Two were costly suits: one, by Mr. Thomas
Prosser (who held the American Patent) _versus_ Mr. Henry
Van Wart, as an American merchant, for sending into the States
buttons made in England irrespective of the American patentee;
the other suit was for infringement in making--R. Prosser and
H. Minton _versus_ Chamberlain and Lilly. This trial
ended August 22, 1845, at Bristol, and its issue was, that
Chamberlain and Lilly should work under license. February 3,
1845, an arrangement was made between Minton and Prosser and
Mr. H. Van Wart to close the American suit. The course for the
sale was again clear for buttons, and progress was made in the
manufacture and sale thereof for a few years, when an abrupt
termination took place from the unfavourable surroundings
and the inability of the patentees to agree as to the future
manufacture.

In 1845 were made 33,928 great gross.
„ 1846 „ „ 50,493 „ „
„ 1847 „ „ 26,784 „ „
„ 1848 „ „ 1,289 „ „

when button-making ceased at Stoke.”

In August, 1845, Mr. Michael Daintry Hollins joined Mr. Minton in the general manufacturing business; and the tile department formed a separate concern, under the style of Minton, Hollins, & Co. Mr. Hollins was a nephew of Mr. Minton’s deceased wife (who was Miss Hollins, of Shelton,) and had been educated for the medical profession. In 1846, Mr. Samuel Barlow Wright, son of the original patentee, was admitted to a share in the business of the tile works, under the style of Minton, Hollins, and Wright. The patent of Mr. Wright was for fourteen years, and was renewed for seven years in 1844. At that period the works continued to be conducted at a loss, and but a small amount of business was done. It may be safely asserted that during the entire existence of the patent, so far from profit being the result, Mr. Minton had sacrificed many thousands of pounds to perfect the manufacture; to say nothing of the extraordinary liberality of his gifts of tiles. In other hands the manufacture might have proved a pecuniary success at an earlier period; but Mr. Minton was lavish in his expenditure in adopting every mechanical or other improvement--hydraulic presses under Prosser’s patent, Napier’s steam hammer, &c.--that promised further success.

Previous to the year 1848, the only process of printing which had succeeded for the decoration of pottery, was the one from engraved copper-plates. In this process all the lines that form the picture are cut into the metal, and these lines were filled in by the printer with the required colour, which had previously been mixed with boiled oil. The impression was then taken on tissue paper, at the ordinary copper-plate printing press, and from the paper transferred to the ware. In that style the picture or ornament was formed by a succession of lines, so that it was almost impossible to produce an even layer of colour, so desirable in flat-surface ornamentation. In 1848, Messrs. Collins and Reynolds, who had for some years carried on in London the business of decorative and picture printers, submitted to Mr. Minton some trials they had made of transferring to pottery impressions taken on paper from the flat surface of metal or stone, instead of from the engraved lines; and by that process broad and flat layers of colour could be produced, and several colours transferred at the same time to the ware. These first-trials were made with ordinary pigments; and, therefore, only served to show the power of transferring the impression from the paper to the ware. Mr. Minton perceived at once that the process would, in all probability, prove of advantage, and supplied the proper enamelling colours for further experiments. It was now found, however, that these colours were much more difficult of management than the ordinary pigments. This arose from their being mixed with so large a proportion of glass, which necessitated the use of stronger oils to carry the colour; and this again caused the colour, when of sufficient strength, to blister in the kiln. Mr. Minton was not, however, discouraged; and, believing that the difficulties would ultimately be overcome, he joined the experimenters in taking out a patent for the process. The patent is dated the 14th March, 1848, and is entitled “for improvements in ornamenting china, earthenware, and glass.” The difficulties so early encountered were very long in being overcome; months, and even years, of disappointment and loss followed, and it was only after innumerable trials had shown what particular oils and of what strength were required for different colours, that the obstacles were finally surmounted, and the process established as an additional and improved means of mechanical decoration. The process was applied to the decoration of earthenware and china generally, both useful and ornamental; but has proved to be more successful with flat surfaces. It was at an early period applied to ornamenting glazed tiles, and quickly supplanted the old and more expensive method of ground-laying. Mr. Pugin was the earliest patron of these tiles, and introduced them into the new palace of Westminster; the walls of the smoke-room of the House of Commons being the first instance of their use. Numerous specimens were shown at the Exhibition of 1851, and again at Paris in 1855, on which occasion the inventor and manager (Mr. Alfred Reynolds) obtained a first-class certificate. And here it should be remarked that Messrs. Minton took every opportunity of bringing before the Jury the merits of those in their employ, whom they considered deserving of distinction for the service they had rendered to them. There is now a very extensive trade done in these tiles, which are very beautiful and every variety of design. They are applied to wall decoration generally, also to hearths, the sides of fire-places, the making of flower boxes, and to a variety of other useful and ornamental purposes. In this improvement both beauty and cheapness are combined. To speak of the merits of these, even briefly, would occupy a chapter; it is sufficient to say that they are of every possible variety of design--floral, geometrical, mythological, historical, and otherwise,--and that the combinations of colours and the arrangement of the patterns give them a brilliancy all their own. Later on the partnership with Mr. Hollins terminated, and that gentleman continued the manufacture of encaustic and other tiles. (See page 213.)

Of the variety of productions of Minton’s works in former, and at the present times, it is impossible to speak in detail. So varied, so distinct, and so extensive are they in material, in body, in style, in decoration, and in uses, that anything like a detailed account becomes impossible. In stoneware, all the ordinary articles--jugs, mugs, bottles, &c.--are extensively produced; many of the designs of the pressed jugs being marked by pure taste and simplicity of design. In ordinary earthenware, dinner, tea, breakfast, toilet, and other services, and all the usual articles, are made in great variety, from the ordinary white and blue printed wares, up to richly enamelled and gilt patterns.

One of the processes successfully adopted by Minton’s is that of _pâte-sur-pâte_, a process in which the artist, instead of using colour, employs liquid clay, in which he paints, or rather “lays on” his design; the whole being afterwards glazed. In this process M. Marc Solon, formerly of Sèvres, is particularly successful, and the trays, plaques, &c., produced by him are characterised by pure but severe taste, and masterly treatment. His monogram, the combined letters M and S, distinguish his best works.

In imitation of bronze Messrs. Minton have succeeded far beyond anything before attained, in producing not only a perfect colour, but a thoroughly metallic appearance; their drinking cups and other articles in bronzed porcelain are well designed and of high character. The Persian ware also is of the highest class both in point of correct adaptation of Persian designs and in manipulative treatment.

The pierced or perforated articles are marvels of lightness and of skill. These, which are among the most difficult tasks for the potter, are, as emanating from Minton’s, perfect in every minute detail; they are gems for any cabinet.

In china, besides all the usual services--dinner, tea, breakfast, dessert, _déjeuner_, toilet, trinket, etc.--an endless variety of fancy and ornamental goods are produced. Notably among these are vases, ewers, tazzæ, and other articles of extreme beauty, and of every style of decoration. A marked feature in these is the embossed gilding of borders, &c. by a process patented by the firm. In Parian, the statuary, busts, groups, vases, ewers, and other articles, equal those of almost any manufactory; while in majolica, della Robia, and other goods, the productions of this firm stand pre-eminent. The engravings, Figs. 205 to 264, give a fair idea of the marvellous beauty and variety of Minton’s goods. Whatever emanates from their factory, indeed, may safely be pronounced to be perfect and unsurpassed, both in design, in manipulation, in body, in glaze, and in colouring. Messrs. Minton rank among the foremost houses throughout the world in those specialities of manufacture to which they have devoted their unbroken attention. The richness and elaborate character of some of the designs, and the faultlessly artistic treatment of others, are shown on the examples I have selected for illustration.

The marks used by Messrs. Minton from time to time are the name “MINTON” impressed on the body of the ware; the names “MINTON,” “MINTON & BOYLE,” “MINTON & CO.,” etc., printed on the surface; and an imitation of the Sèvres double _L_, with the initial M added. This latter mark, of which two examples are given on Figs. 255 and 256, is pencilled in blue on the ware; it occurs on fine porcelain tea services, richly painted and gilt, and of remarkably good, and sometimes very elaborate, design. Sometimes also the letter M alone (Fig. 221) occurs. Of late years, too, an ermine spot (Fig. 222) in gold or colours has occasionally been used.

The name MINTON impressed, or “stamped,” in the body of the ware, was not used until 1861, so that this will be a guide to possessors in appropriating examples.

Sometimes the words “FELSPAR CHINA,” “NEW STONE” or “SEMI CHINA” occur.

Other marks used by Messrs. Minton are shown on Figs. 266 to 270.

* * * * *

_Hollins._--The history of the famous works of Messrs. Minton, Hollins, & Co., and of the rise and development of their manufacture of encaustic, enamelled, majolica, and other tiles, has already been given on pages 195 to 206, and therefore need not be repeated. In 1868, as there stated, the partnership ceased, and from that time the manufacture of tiles passed into the hands of, and has been continued solely by, Mr. Michael Daintry Hollins, under the old style of “Minton, Hollins, & Co.” The productions of the works, as of old, consist of unglazed encaustic, and tesselated, or rather, geometrical, tiles for pavements; glazed encaustic tiles for fire hearths; majolica and enamelled tiles for grate cheeks, flower-boxes, wall-linings, &c.; and plain and painted tiles for various species of decoration. These are all made from the same moulds, and of precisely the same excellent quality both in body and decoration as under the old firm; the business is, indeed, in every respect the same as before the dissolution.

The engravings, Figs. 271 to 282, show some of the designs of Minton, Hollins, & Co., and are of the highest style of art. The unglazed and the glazed encaustic tiles for pavements are made of the hardest and most durable materials that have yet been discovered--far beyond those of many other makers--and the workmanship as well as the designs are of a superior order. They are made in the simple red and buff patterns of mediæval times, as well as in various combinations of colours; among these are black, white, buff, chocolate, salmon, green, blue, red, grey, yellow, &c., and these are varied in their combinations to an almost endless variety.

In majolica tiles, for flower-boxes, many effective and appropriate designs are made; these are of bold relief and richly coloured. Among the patterns are tulips and other flowers in high relief, painted true to nature, and of remarkable richness. Earthenware tiles, printed or painted, not in relief, are also largely produced for the same purpose.

For wall decoration, fire-place cheeks and linings, and other purposes, the variety of tiles produced by the firm is very extensive, and embraces almost every class of design. In these are some with the patterns (notably the lily) all in very high relief, and the colouring of the richest and most effective character.

Others have their patterns painted by hand on the flat surface, by skilled artists; and others, again, are transfer-printed, or a combination of printing and painting. Some form a more or less rich diaper, and others are separate or continuous patterns, while others again form borders of more than usual elegance.

Among special patterns may be named a series of masterly designs of Morning, Noon, Evening, and Night, represented by well-conceived figures in blue on a black ground; a series of emblematic designs of the Seasons, printed in chocolate or other monochrome on the white or buff surface; and a series of allegorical, mythological, and fabulous subjects, each treated in the same admirable manner. The body of some is of fine white earthenware, very hard and durable, and others are buff, grey, or cream-coloured, and in each of these bodies the tiles are produced of many patterns and of every degree of finish.

The geometric or tesselated pavements are of every conceivable variety; the tiles composing them being made of different forms and of all shades of colour, but all produced with the utmost mechanical nicety so as to “fit” in ever-changing variety. A notable feature in the tiles of this firm is the richness, the clearness, and the purity of the colours and the excellence of the glaze; these features, added to faultless quality of body, to high-class artistic treatment of patterns, and to excellence of mechanical workmanship, place them high in estimation. Messrs. Hollins were very extensive exhibitors at the Philadelphia Exhibition, 1876, and their productions excited great interest and admiration. One of their main attractions was a lovely chimney-piece composed of tiles exquisitely painted with humming birds, &c., and over it a lovely painting of a mother and her children executed with perfect artistic taste and feeling on thirty tiles; this great achievement in ceramics is shown on Fig. 277. Another notable exhibit was a reredos in mosaic (Fig. 282), and in mosaic also was a fine head of Washington. The rest of their exhibits consisted of every possible variety of tiles, and all of equal excellence. The marks used are “MINTON HOLLINS & CO. PATENT TILE WORKS, STOKE ON TRENT”; “MINTON & CO. Patent, STOKE ON TRENT”; “MINTON HOLLINS & CO. STOKE ON TRENT”; “M. H. & Co.,” &c., at the back of the tiles.

* * * * *

_Trent Pottery._--These works were established in 1861 by Mr. George Jones, the head of the present firm of “George Jones and Sons.” Messrs. Jones manufacture all the ordinary description of ordinary earthenware; from the gaily-decorated articles required in Africa and in South America, and the spotless white granite for the United States, to stoneware, and printed, enamelled, and gilt wares, for home use and for the Colonies. The firm also make a large and striking variety of articles in majolica, in which they successfully vie with most houses in the trade. In this they make both useful and ornamental articles, most of which are of a high order of art, being well modelled, carefully finished, and of a quality that will bear comparison with most others. Some of the productions exhibited at Paris in 1867 (when they obtained a medal), at London in 1871, and at Vienna in 1873, are shown by Figs. 283 to 306. The imitation Palissy ware is highly successful. In vases, candelabra, centre and side pieces, flower shells, and numberless other articles, Messrs. Jones have produced many striking and good designs. Some of these are shown on the engravings; others, especially an aquatic centre-piece of four heights, in Cupids, shells, dolphins, and coral; a flower-pot, in which the magnolia forms the basis of ornamentation; and an ewer abundantly decorated with lizards, snakes, &c., are bold, good, and highly effective in design. The mark used by Messrs. Jones is simply the monogram composed of the initials G J joined together.

* * * * *

_Albert Works, and Copeland Street Works._--(Poole, Stanway, & Wood.)--The business of this firm was established in 1859 in the Albert Works, Liverpool Road, by Messrs. George Turner, Joseph Emery Hassall, and William Bromley, as a Parian manufactory only. In 1863, the present much larger works were built. In 1862, Mr. Bromley retired from the concern, and in 1863 Mr. Thomas Peake joined it, and the firm continued as “Turner, Hassall, & Peake” until 1871, when the latter withdrew, and was succeeded by Mr. Poole, when the style became “Turner, Hassall, and Poole.” In 1873 Mr. Hassall retired, and was succeeded by Mr. Stanway, and the firm then became “Turner, Poole, and Stanway.” Later on Mr. Turner also retired from the firm, and Mr. Josiah Wood, having entered into partnership with the remaining partners, the style was altered to its present form of “Poole, Stanway, and Wood.” At first Parian only was made, but after a time the decoration of china (bought in the white) was added. After this had been done for about ten years the manufacture of china was commenced, and is now a large and profitable branch of the business. The present productions of these works are Parian, principally statuary, of the higher quality in body, in colour, and in workmanship; china, in which tea, breakfast, dessert, trinket, and other services, vases, figures, groups, &c., are made in every style of decoration, and of excellent quality; majolica, in all the usual varieties of articles; and terra cotta, in which they produce water-jugs, fern-stands, tobacco-jars, filters, candlesticks, flower-vases, tea-pots, &c. The speciality of the works is, however, in Parian, and in this they rank very, and deservedly, high; in this the novelty was introduced by Mr. Turner of decorating the Parian body with majolica colours. By this means a greater clearness and brilliancy as well as softness of colour is attained, “crazing” is avoided, and a more pleasing effect and finish gained. The operations of the firm are not confined to the home markets, but a considerable trade is done with foreign ports. The terra cotta goods are produced in red and cane colour, and richly enamelled. The body is remarkably fine and even, and very hard, compact, and durable. In statuary Parian, a large variety of groups, single figures, animals, and ornamental pieces are produced. The groups and figures, both after the antique and original designs by celebrated modellers, are of a high degree of excellence. Notably among these is a very charming pair, “Night” and “Morning,” by Carrier. Busts, too, are produced very extensively, and of various sizes, both copied from classic models and of modern celebrities. In centre-pieces, compotiers, &c., Messrs. Poole, Stanway, & Wood are particularly successful. A set of four, with juvenile figures representing the Seasons, are peculiarly graceful and elegant, the open-work dishes of these and others being of admirable design and faultless finish; as is also another in which the stem is surrounded by three cleverly modelled Cupids. The tinting of these is pleasing and artistic; the creamy richness of the body (of course unglazed) giving a peculiar softness to the flesh, while the drapery and accessories, being delicately coloured and glazed, impart a finish to the designs that is very charming. A centre-piece with a pedestal rising from three gracefully modelled female figures, and supporting an exquisite open-work dish, is of peculiar elegance; the angles of the tripod base are formed of boldly modelled sea-horses, whose curled tails rise gracefully up and support three smaller dishes. A very successful and powerfully conceived design is a comport in which the base is formed of three young Tritons, who, surrounding an elegant lyre standard, alternate with the same number of shells; above them rises the open-work bowl.

It is interesting to add that one of the partners of this firm, Mr. Josiah Wood, is a worthy descendant of a long line of potters; his grandfather, Aaron Wood, himself a famous potter, was the son of Aaron Wood (who was apprenticed to Dr. Thomas Wedgwood), and the brother of the celebrated Enoch Wood, of whom notices are given in other parts of this volume. Mr. Stanway, another of the partners, is the son of William Stanway, whose fifty years’ connection with the Wedgwoods I have spoken of in my “Life of Wedgwood” and alluded to in another part of this volume.

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_Glebe Street Works_, and _Wharf Street Works_.--These two manufactories belong to Messrs. Robinson and Leadbeater, and are entirely confined to the production of Parian goods, of which they are among the largest and most extensive producers, both for the home markets and for exportation. The _Glebe Street Works_ were commenced in 1850, by a clever Italian figure-modeller named Giovanni Meli, who produced clever groups and single figures, till 1865, when he sold the entire business, with its plant, moulds, and machinery, to Messrs. Robinson and Leadbeater, and returned to Italy with the full intention of there commencing a terra cotta manufactory. This he relinquished, after a short trial, mainly through the lack of a suitable native clay or marl for the making of his saggers. Giovanni Meli then went to Chicago, where he succeeded in his wishes, and established a manufactory of the kind he had attempted in Italy, and there he continues to the present time. The _Wharf Street Works_ were commenced in 1858 by Mr. Leveson Hill, after whose death, which occurred shortly afterwards, they were carried on by his executors until 1870, when they were sold to Messrs. Robinson and Leadbeater, who thus became proprietors of both concerns. By them the works have been considerably enlarged, and as their business operations are rapidly extending, they bid fair to rank among the largest in the district.

The operations of the firm are entirely confined to Parian, and in this they produce statuary groups and figures in large variety; statuettes and busts, both classical, portrait, and imaginative; vases of endless form, variety, and size; centre-pieces and comports of elegant design; flower-stands; brackets and pedestals; bouquet-holders trinket-caskets; cream-ewers; jugs, and a considerable variety of fancy articles.

By giving their constant and undivided attention to this one branch of ceramic art (Parian), Messrs. Robinson and Leadbeater have succeeded in so improving it both in fineness and purity of body and in tone of colour, as to render their productions of far higher than average merit. They have studied excellence of body, originality of design, and cleverness of workmanship, as before that of marketable cheapness, and in this they have done wisely. In material, they rank with the best productions of many competing firms, while in fineness of surface and careful manipulation they are scarcely excelled.

Among the designs produced by this firm are many of more than average merit, and they are issued, in some instances, of large size.--“_Clytie_,” a clever reproduction, is a bust of about twenty-two inches in height, whilst several others (Gladstone, Disraeli, Cobden, Tennyson, Dickens, and other modern celebrities) are of various heights. Among their principal groups are “Innocence Protected,” “Penelope,” “The Power of Love,” “Cupid Betrayed,” “Cupid Captive,” “Golden Age,” “Rock of Ages,” “Guardian Angel,” “The Immaculate Conception,” “Christ and St. John,” and “Virgin and Child;” and in single figures are many well designed and faultlessly produced. These are all good, and the same remark will apply to the remainder of the figures and busts. The centre-pieces, comports, and flower-holders, are characterized by the same good taste in design and the same excellence in finish; their variety is great, and many of them have a freshness and originality in conception that is very encouraging. Messrs. Robinson and Leadbeater are very successful in their original portrait busts, many of which they have produced, both for private purposes and for sale. Among the latter, the busts of Abraham Lincoln, Charles Sumner, and Governor Andrew, have had a very extensive sale in the United States, to which market, indeed, the greater part of their general statuary and other goods is sent. An excellent portrait statuette of Queen Victoria may also be reckoned among their successful productions. In addition to the States and the home markets, the firm export largely to Canada, the Colonies, and Germany. They use no mark.

* * * * *

_Copeland Street._--Messrs. Billington & Co. manufacture the commonest descriptions of china in all the usual services.

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_Bridge Works._--Formerly worked by Messrs. Davenport & Co., W. Adams & Co., Minton, Hollins & Co., Jones & Co., and Grose & Son, this manufactory is now carried on by Hancock & Whittingham for the production of the usual useful classes of earthenware.

* * * * *

_Walker & Carter._--The manufactory now carried on by this firm belonged formerly to Wolf, and next to his son-in-law Hamilton, and later was worked by Z. Boyle & Co., W. Adams & Co., and Minton, Hollins & Co. The present firm manufacture the ordinary classes of earthenware.

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_London Road (and Eastwood Vale)._--The works of Mr. William Henry Goss were commenced in 1858 for the production of Parian, ivory-porcelain, terra cotta, &c., and their progress from that time as pure art-productions has been very marked. The most famous of the specialities of Mr. Goss’s manufacture are porcelain floral jewellery and dress ornaments, in which brooches, hair-pins, scent-diffusers, crosses, and other beautiful articles are made; jewelled porcelain, in which vases, scent-bottles, tazzæ and other ornaments are produced; and vessels to be filled with perfumes, including illuminated scent-vases, pomade-boxes, rice-powder jars, pastil and scented ribbon burners, &c., these latter being made largely for the great Paris and London perfumehouses. The process of modelling jewelled porcelain, just alluded to, which is of extreme richness and beauty, is the invention of Mr. Goss, who, many years ago observing that the enamel jewels on the old Sèvres porcelain frequently dropped, or were rubbed, off, turned his attention to the subject. The process adopted at Sèvres was as follows: a gold foil was stamped into circles, ovals, and other required forms for the reception of the enamels, which were then pencilled on, and fired before applying them to the article they were intended to decorate. After being vitrified into imitations of uncut rubies, emeralds, &c., they were stuck on to the surface of the porcelain with a flux, and again fired. The adhesion was by this process often incomplete, and thus it frequently occurred that part of the design became rubbed away. The process invented by Mr. Goss for this mosaic jewellery, is, to indent the designs for the intended jewelled decoration in the dry or moist clay before baking, and in these to insert the jewels, which are all previously cut, and thus attain an increased brilliancy. Being inserted into the hollow or recess prepared for them, they are made secure. The process is an extremely delicate but very ingenious and beautiful one, and the effect produced is richer and finer than is attained by any other processes. Real pearls are often also introduced by Mr. Goss with good effect. For this and other purposes Mr. Goss has taken out a patent “for improvements in manufacturing articles of jewellery, dress ornaments, dress fastenings, smoke-shades for lamps and gas-burners, and the handles of cups and other vessels of ceramic materials”--an invention peculiarly applicable to the “manufacture of brooches, earrings, the heads of scarf-pins, hair-pins, and shawl-pins, the trinkets called charms, bracelets, necklaces, stud and ring fittings,” and a vast number of other articles. The floral brooches, crosses, &c., are of great beauty, and in delicacy of modelling remind one of the famous Bristol and Derby floral plaques. Some are produced in pure white bisqué, others are tinted in the natural colours of the flowers represented, and others are in ivory-porcelain prepared by a patented process.

In Parian, for which Mr. Goss ranks deservedly high, busts, statuary, vases, tazzas, scent-jars, bread-platters, and many other ornamental goods, are made. Notably among these are admirable busts of Charles Swain and of myself, the author of this work; this forms the frontispiece to the first volume. This fine work of Art was modelled expressly for the purpose in 1875, and is pronounced by those capable of judging to be a fine and highly successful example of Ceramic Art. These are modelled by Mr. W. W. Gallimore, under the personal and artistic supervision of Mr. Goss. They, as are all the busts which emanate from this combined source, are of the highest style of Art in point of pose and poetic treatment, and of the most careful character in manipulative workmanship. As portrait-busts they rank far above the average, and are, indeed, perfect reproductions of the living originals. It is not often that this can be said of portrait-busts, but it has been a particular study of Mr. Goss, and of his coadjutor, Mr. Gallimore, and they have succeeded admirably.[44] Of Mr. Gallimore it may be well to say a word or two. He at one time was engaged as a modeller at the Belleek Works in Ireland, and while there, by the bursting of a gun, lost his right arm. His modelling has, therefore, ever since then, been entirely done by his left hand, and, strange as it may seem, is far better than when he had both.

One of Mr. Goss’s specialities is ivory porcelain, and this he produces of the full soft mellow tone which characterizes the finest ivory, while, from the nature of the body he has by constant experiments and study succeeded in producing, it is far more lasting and durable, and capable of more decoration, than the ivory itself. It possesses all the delicate beauty of the ivory, with, as just stated, more durability, and, unlike it, is unchangeable. In this material one of Mr. Goss’s most successful productions is a pierced scent-bottle of the pilgrim-bottle or puzzle-jug form. Its centre is double pierced in a very elaborate pattern, and judiciously heightened with lines of gold.

In terra cotta, which is of peculiarly fine quality and rich colour, water-bottles and all the usual articles are made, a speciality being the fern-leaves with which they are decorated. All kinds of enamel colours and lustres are made at these works. The name W. H. GOSS is sometimes stamped in the ware, and on the other higher class goods the crest, a falcon rising, ducally gorged, is used.

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_London Road._--In 1856 a field on the London Road was found to contain a valuable mine of red clay, and a manufactory of floor, roof, and ridge tiles, &c., was commenced. This property was purchased by Mr. W. Kirkham, who still continues the works. In 1862 Mr. Kirkham built a manufactory for the production of Parian, terra cotta, and general earthenware for the home and foreign markets. To this he has more recently added the making of door-furniture, brass-founders’ fittings, knobs, mortars and pestles, chemists’ goods, stoneware, &c.; a patent is also worked for the production of porcelain bottle-stoppers, feeding-bottles, &c. The terra cotta goods, comprising water-bottles, ornamental flower-pots and stands, table-jugs, spill-cases, tobacco-jars, and an infinite variety of other articles, are of a high degree of excellence, both in body, in form, in colour, and in style of ornamentation. In colour it is of a deep, rich, full red, and is remarkably close, compact, hard, and durable in texture. The ornamentation consists of embossed borders of more than average relief; printed groups of Etruscan figures, borders, groups of flowers, &c.; rich enamelling in various colours; and dead and burnished gilding. Some of the fern decorations are graceful, natural, and elegant; and those with the Etruscan figures and the enamelled borders are in pure taste. The table-jugs are of excellent form, many being good examples of severe Art, and their decorations are faultless.

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_The Campbell Brick and Tile Company._--The company to whom this manufactory belongs was formed in 1875 for the purpose of carrying on the business of Mr. Robert Minton Taylor, who had till that time conducted it at Fenton. A new manufactory was, in 1876, erected at Stoke, when the Fenton business was transferred to it. In addition to this, new buildings and machinery have been erected for the production of all kinds of bricks, roofing and other building tiles, &c. The works were established at Fenton, as just stated, by Mr. Robert Minton Taylor--nephew to the late Mr. Herbert Minton, and until the past few years a partner in the firm of Minton, Hollins & Co.--in 1868, on a dissolution, consequent on effluxion of time, of the old firm. The productions of these works, as were those at Fenton, are encaustic, mosaic, geometrical, and majolica tiles, and in these every variety of design, from the purely ornate to the severe classic, are made.

The encaustic tiles are produced not only in the usually simple red and buff colours, but also in various combinations of buff, red, blue, green, yellow, white, black, brown, grey, and every shade of compound colour. The designs are very effective and pure, and are the result of considerable study on the part of the artists employed in their preparation. The geometric tiles are of every conceivable form and of great variety in colour; they are prepared with mathematical nicety, and produce remarkably rich and effective pavements.

One of the specialities of these works are majolica and coloured tiles. These are of the highest possible class of beauty and excellence, and the richness of the colours and their harmonious combinations cannot be surpassed: they are perfect works of Art, and are a great and marked advance upon any which have preceded them. Some have the ornament in relief--sometimes approaching even to _alto-relievo_--and exquisitely modelled: the ornament consisting of arabesques, foliage, flowers, birds, &c., in endless variety. In reproduction of natural objects, as the hawthorn, the bramble, the violet, the primrose, the anemone, the lily, and the lilac, Mr. Minton Taylor is particularly happy: the effect is strikingly beautiful. The tiles, of course, are adapted for wall decorations of churches, &c., for ceilings, grate-cheeks, lining of fire-places, flower-boxes, friezes, inlaying in cabinet work, &c., but not for floors.

Among the other features of these works are the tesselated pavements, which are careful reproductions of examples of the Romano-British period. In these the antique character is well preserved, the designs copied with scrupulous accuracy, the colours kept strictly to the originals, and the effect of the rich guilloches admirably preserved. Tile hearths, too, are a speciality of Mr. Minton Taylor’s, and these are produced in great variety and of extreme beauty: they are among the most successful adaptations of ceramic decorative Art to domestic purposes. The principal designs are by E. Welby Pugin, John Gibbs, J. Seddon, Dr. Dresser, and others.

The mark used by Mr. Minton Taylor while at Fenton was the name “ROBERT MINTON TAYLOR, TILE WORKS, FENTON, NEAR STOKE-ON-TRENT,” arranged in various ways, and impressed or raised on the back; or the initials ^{R M T}_{F T W} used in the same way. That of the present firm (the proprietor of which is Colin Minton Campbell, Esq., M.P., and the manager, Mr. Robert Minton Taylor) is a compass W+^N_{S}E encircled by the words “CAMPBELL BRICK & TILE CO., STOKE-UPON-TRENT.”

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_Harrison and Wedgwood._--John Harrison, of Newcastle, and afterwards of Cliff Bank, Stoke, a man possessed of some means, but little taste, entered into partnership with Josiah Wedgwood on the latter first commencing business. He was not a practical potter, but was taken into partnership by Wedgwood for the advance of capital. They carried on the business at what was Mr. Aldersea’s pottery, at the top of Stoke, opposite the works of Hugh Booth. Here, besides agate and other knife-hafts, they made the ordinary kinds of wares then in demand, both “scratched” and blue. In 1754 they entered into partnership with Thomas Whieldon, and later on the works were, I believe, bought and pulled down by Josiah Spode.

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_Bankes._--Mr. R. Bankes and Mr. John Turner, in 1756, made white stoneware on what, later, formed a part of Josiah Spode’s premises. In 1762 Mr. Turner removed to Lane End, and about 1780 discovered a valuable vein of clay at Green Dock; this he turned to profitable and artistic use in the making of his fine and celebrated cane-coloured and other wares.

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_Aldersea._--John and Thomas Aldersea were makers of tortoiseshell, clouded, and other wares.

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_Hugh Booth_, of Cliff Bank, was one of the leading manufacturers of the district. His productions were common cream-coloured, mottled, and, I believe, lustre-wares. He died unmarried in June, 1789, aged 57, and was succeeded by his brother, Ephraim.

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_Ephraim Booth_ (an alderman of Plymouth), who took into partnership his two sons Hugh and Joseph, and carried on the business under the firm of “Ephraim Booth and Sons.” The eldest of these sons, Hugh Booth, married Ann, daughter of Thomas Lovatt, Esq., and died in 1831. This firm was somewhat extensive, and produced blue printed and other wares. The heading of their bills in 1792 was “Eph^m Booth & Sons, Potters to His Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence and St. Andrew’s, in the Kingdom of Great Britain, Earl of Munster, in the Kingdom of Ireland.” “Stoke, Staffordshire.” At that time (1792) some of their productions were “barrel-shape” and other jugs, “ewers and basons,” “cups and saucers, bell-shape handled,” “coffees and saucers, fluted,” all “printed Dresden pattern;” “tureens and ladles, green edge, cream-coloured glaze;” sallads, baking dishes, fish-drainers, oyster-shells, pickle leaves, egg-cups, peppers, mustards, scollop shells, sauce tureens, all stands either “green edge,” “blue edge,” or “blue and green;” tea-pots, milks, bread and butter plates, &c., “narrow flute, printed Dresden pattern,” &c.

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_Wolfe._--Mr. Thomas Wolfe was a very successful manufacturer, the latter part of last century. He died in 1818, and was, I believe, succeeded by his son-in-law, Mr. Robert Hamilton, and afterwards by Messrs. W. Adams and Co.

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_Bird._--Daniel Bird, the “flint potter,” as he was called, at Cliff Bank (afterwards Mayers), made agate-ware knife-hafts and buttons, and the usual earthenware of the period.

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The manufacturers at Stoke in 1829, were, according to Shaw, Spode; Minton; H. and R. Daniel, who here made only porcelain, their earthenware works being at Shelton; Adams, in one part of whose works the first steam-engine for grinding flints is said to have been erected; Zachary Boyle & Son, near the churchyard, who made both china and earthenware; Thomas Mayer (Cliff Bank), formerly Daniel Bird’s, who was called the “flint potter,” through his having ascertained the exact proportions of flints and clays required “to prevent cracking in the oven”; and Ward and Forrester. In 1843, there were Spode and Copelands; Messrs. Mintons; Messrs. William Adams and Co., who at one time or other had five separate manufactories, three of which had formerly been Mr. Wolfe’s, the fourth the Bridge Works, and the fifth Hugh Booth’s; Messrs. Henry and Richard Daniel; Mr. Zachary Boyle; Messrs. Samuel and George Reade; and Messrs. Lowndes and Hill.