Wedgwood, Fall of Phaeton, c.1785 (jasper). Lady Lever Art Gallery, National Museums Liverpool © National Museums Liverpool / Bridgeman Images.
An entrepreneur, abolitionist and beacon of the Industrial Revolution, Josiah Wedgwood was perhaps the greatest English potter. From his kilns in Stoke-on-Trent he changed the production of ceramics in Georgian England, revolutionising the way design was married with technology, manufacturing, efficiency, trade and retail.
Tristram Hunt, Director of the Victoria & Albert Museum, and author of the acclaimed new biography of Wedgwood, The Radical Potter, calls him the ‘Steve Jobs of the 18th century’ for the way he changed consumer culture, and the impact and extraordinary contribution he has had globally.
In this talk, Hunt also explores Wedgwood’s life beyond the pottery and looks at his radical politics: a man who campaigned for free trade and religious toleration, read pioneering papers to the Royal Society and created the ceramic ‘Emancipation Badge’ that became the symbol of the abolitionist movement.
The Radical Potter: Josiah Wedgwood and the Transformation of Britain by Tristram Hunt is published by Penguin.
Proceeds from our ticket sales benefit museums, galleries and other arts-based organisations and projects.
This is an online event hosted on Zoom which can be watched live, or on-demand for three weeks afterwards. You will receive your link to access the event in your email confirmation and the on-demand link after the event ends.