Revealing William Hackwood: Josiah Wedgwood's Illustrious Craftsmen
Open AccessRevealing William Hackwood: Josiah Wedgwood’s Illustrious Craftsman William Hackwood became one of the most significant modelers employed by Josiah Wedgwood, the most successful manufacturer of pottery in the eighteenth century. His works contributed to the insatiable demand for Wedgwood pottery throughout the world. Hackwood remained a valued employee for sixty-three consecutive years, under two generations of the Wedgwood family. Under Wedgwood’s tutelage, Hackwood practiced every aspect of design, modeling, and manufacture. He became indispensable and rose to chief modeler of the ornamental wares division, which included twenty different categories of products. Yet, because of Wedgwood’s policy of not allowing workmen to sign the products, Hackwood’s body of work remains unmarked, with the exception of five known signed artifacts. Most of his works are classified as attributed or unknown as opposed to authenticated. Biographers and scholars have provided positive comments regarding his contributions to the ceramic arts, and in primary sources Josiah Wedgwood himself praised Hackwood numerous times. However, no single scholarly monograph exists that analyzes his authenticated works to determine if new authentications are possible. This thesis brings to light evidence surrounding Hackwood’s life, body of works, artistry, and contributions by examining primary and secondary sources, such as texts, designs, manuscripts, archives, and museum collections, to fill the lack of scholarship surrounding this overlooked and understudied aspect of eighteenth-century English ceramic decorative arts and design.
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