Star Wedgwood Explained

Cecily Stella Wedgwood
Birth Date:29 October 1904
Birth Place:Barlaston, Staffordshire, England
Death Place:Oxfordshire, England
Othername:Star Wedgwood
Occupation:Ceramicist
Spouse:Frederic Maitland Wright
Mother:Katherine Pigott
Nationality:British

Cecily Stella Wedgwood (29 October 1904[1] – 18 February 1995),[2] known as Star Wedgwood, was a British ceramicist.

Work

Star was introduced to pottery decoration through Alfred Powell's painting classes at the Etruria Works of the Wedgwood pottery firm in England.[3]

She became a designer herself at the company during the early 1930s and created a number of patterns on bone china and Queen's ware for Wedgwood. Her signature was a five-pointed star and the initials CW. According to the Wedgwood Museum, "Her bone china designs tend to be bold, and made extensive use of strong colours and platinum lustre".

In 1937, Star married Frederic Maitland Wright, who later became the company secretary of Wedgwood and joint managing director with Norman Wilson. She died in Oxfordshire in 1995.

Heritage

Born in Barlaston, Staffordshire, England,[4] [5] Star was the daughter of Francis Hamilton Wedgwood and his wife Katherine (née Pigott).[6] Her father has been described as a "fifth generation Wedgwood",[7] directly descended from the Wedgwood company founder, potter Josiah Wedgwood, thus making Star part of the Wedgwood family's sixth generation.

Notes and References

  1. England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916–2007
  2. England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858–1995
  3. Web site: Key Figures in Wedgwood History. Pottery-english.com. 6 February 2019.
  4. 1911 England Census
  5. Staffordshire, England, Birth, Marriage and Death Indexes, 1837–2017
  6. Web site: Cecily Stella Wedgwood (1905-95). Wedgwoodmuseum.org.uk. 5 May 2020.
  7. Web site: The Wedgwood Museum − Learning − Francis Hamilton Wedgwood (Frank) (1867-1930). www.wedgwoodmuseum.org.uk. 2020-05-05.