English potters named Adams. The term refers to three branches of the same family name, Adams, that made Anglo-Saxon pottery in the 1800s.
The first pertains to William Adams (1748-1831), born in Brick House. His work is not known to be very important. The second is about William Adams (1772-1829), who was born in Stoke and made flow-blue ware for the U.S. market. His son William Adams continued this series. (1798-1865). Another William Adams belongs to the third group. He was born in Greengates, and after learning from Wedgwood, he made creamware and especially groups of household pottery that looked like Wedgwood’s dark blue jasper models. His son Benjamin continued his work. (who died in 1820). The headquarters of the William Adams and Sons firm are in Tunstall and Stoke, Staffordshire. The company has been around since 1769; Wedgwood bought it in 1966. It is continuing in business today.
It was known for the high quality of its products, especially the blue-and-white pottery based on porcelain from China. During the twentieth century, it mostly made toiletries and tableware with designs based on eighteenth-century models or historical events (such as the 1913 Shakespearian Series or the Cries of London). It also made tableware for children with Victorian-style themes and country scenes, flower or fruit designs.
Sources
Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing. https://amzn.to/3ElmSlL
Terraroli, V. (2002, January 2). Skira Dictionary of Modern Decorative Arts. https://doi.org/10.1604/9788884910257
William Adams (potter). (2021, April 15). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Adams_(potter)
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Books | British Ceramics
Creed III
Chinese Ceramics: Highlights of the Sir Percival David Collection
Contemporary British Studio Pottery: Forms of Expression (Ceramics)
Contemporary British Ceramics: Beneath the Surface
British Ceramics, 1675-1825: The Mint Museum
Contemporary British Ceramics and the Influence of Sculpture: Monuments, Multiples, Destruction and Display (Routledge Advances in Art and Visual Studies)
Pocket Book of British Ceramic Marks: Including Index to Registered Designs 1842-83
Ceramics: 400 Years of British Collecting in 100 Masterpieces (National Trust Series)
British Ceramic Art: 1870-1940
Transactions and Journal of the British Ceramic Society. (1923) Volume 22(1922-1923) [Leather Bound]
British Ceramic Toast Racks for Collectors
English Decorative Ceramics: Art Nouveau to Art Deco
Studio Pottery
British Studio Ceramics in the 20th Century
As Dead As a Dodo
Ceramics of Iran: Islamic Pottery from the Sarikhani Collection
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