“A scientist and businessman, artist and marketeer, radical and industrialist, whose material impact would be felt right across the globe... Wedgwood’s vision and passion, technical ingenuity and business acumen, speak excitingly to us today”.
Tristram's interest in Wedgwood stems from his stint as MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, in the heart of the Potteries, from 2010 to 2017; his involvement in the campaign to save the Wedgwood Museum; and his now role as director of the V&A, which has a significant collection of Wedgwood artefacts in the permanent collection.
The Radical Potter tells Josiah Wedgwood's life story - placing him at the heart of the boom of wealth, power and consumption that accompanied the Industrial Revolution in Britain - as well as his moral instincts and opposition to the slave trade. Indeed, Wedgwood is not only known for his iconic blue and white jasperware, he is also remembered for his Am I Not a Man And a Brother? anti-slavery medallion.
During his presentation, Tristram Hunt called Josiah Wedgwood ‘the Steve Jobs of the eighteenth century’, but Wedgwood was radical in his mind and politics as well as in his designs. He transformed the luxury markets not only of UK but of America and the world, and helped to usher in a mass consumer society. As Helen Brocklebank commented ahead of Tristram's presentation: 'Wedgwood truly was the first Brand of Tomorrow'.
The Radical Potter: Josiah Wedgwood and the Transformation of Britain by Tristram Hunt. Published by Penguin, £25.
