Editing Pottery (section)

====United Kingdom====
{{Main|Wedgwood|Staffordshire figure|Royal Doulton|Mintons|Midwinter Pottery|Spode}}
[[File:BLW Bone China Chocolate Cup.jpg|thumb|200px|Handpainted bone china cup. England, 1815–1820]]
The city of [[Stoke-on-Trent]] is widely known as "The Potteries" because of the large number of pottery factories or, colloquially, "Pot Banks". It was one of the first industrial cities of the modern era where, as early as 1785, two hundred pottery manufacturers employed 20,000 workers.<ref>Richard Whipp, ''Patterns of Labour – Work and Social Change in the Pottery Industry'' (1990).</ref><ref>Simeon Shaw, ''History of the Staffordshire Potteries: And the Rise and Progress of the Manufacture of Pottery and Porcelain; with References to Genuine Specimens, and Notices of Eminent Potters'' (1900). [https://archive.org/details/historystafford00shawgoog At the Internet Archive.]</ref> [[Josiah Wedgwood]] (1730–1795) was the dominant leader.<ref>Brian Dolan, ''Wedgwood: The First Tycoon'' (2004).</ref>

In North Staffordshire hundreds of companies produced all kinds of pottery, from tablewares and decorative pieces to industrial items.  The main pottery types of earthenware, stoneware and porcelain were all made in large quantities, and the Staffordshire industry was a major innovator in developing new varieties of ceramic bodies such as [[bone china]] and [[jasperware]], as well as pioneering [[transfer printing]] and other glazing and decorating techniques.  In general Staffordshire was strongest in the middle and low price ranges, though the finest and most expensive types of wares were also made.<ref>Aileen Dawson, ""The Growth of the Staffordshire Ceramic Industry", in Freestone, Ian, [[David Gaimster|Gaimster, David R. M.]] (eds), ''Pottery in the Making: World Ceramic Traditions'' (1997), pp 200–205</ref>

By the late 18th century North Staffordshire was the largest producer of ceramics in the UK, despite significant hubs elsewhere.  Large export markets took Staffordshire pottery around the world, especially in the 19th century.<ref>Dawson, 200–201</ref>  Production had begun to decline in the late 19th century, as other countries developed their industries, and declined notably after World War II. Employment fell from 45,000 in 1975 to 23,000 in 1991, and 13,000 in 2002.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2002/may/29/guardiansocietysupplement | title=Gone to pot | newspaper=The Guardian | date=29 May 2002 | last1=Ridge | first1=Mian }}</ref>