WEDGWOOD SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON DC
Photography by Kathy McGuinness Designs
A peek into the genetics of a very famous family
A recent article in Cureus presents an interesting study entitled Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathy, Lactic
Acidosis, and Stroke-Like Episodes (MELAS) in the 18th Century: Mitochondrial Disorders Are Not of
Recent Origins. The authors examine the personal letters of Josiah Wedgwood and family portraits to
come to modern interpretations and understanding of the chronic ailments affecting the Wedgwood
and Darwin families, in particular, the debilitating illness that afflicted Charles Darwin.
Celebrating the Wonderful Keith Murray
Collectible Wedgwood pottery crosses all centuries and a designer to celebrate is Keith Murray. Murray’s designs are now iconic and to many he is considered a pioneer of the Art Deco style. He produced designs that were very simple; they were bold, modernist pieces produced with clean lines where form was integral to decoration, clearly drawing from his architectural training and his belief that good design should show common sense.
Keith Murray at Work
Lot of Keith Murray designed vases and mugs offered by Skinner Auctions
The Radical Potter by Tristram Hunt
An upcoming new biography of Josiah Wedgwood, the pioneering English potter, entrepreneur, and beacon of the early Industrial Revolution – who was also an
influential radical campaigner.
Tristram Hunt, Director of the Victoria & Albert Museum and author of The Radical Potter.
A highly anticipated new book on Josiah Wedgwood will be available October 26, 2021. As acclaimed historian Tristram Hunt puts it in this striking biography, Wedgwood was the Steve Jobs of the eighteenth century: a difficult, brilliant, creative entrepreneur whose personal drive and extraordinary vision changed how we work and live. Drawing on an array of letters, journals, and historical documents, Hunt presents the story of a singular man, his contributions to design and innovation, who ultimately helped usher in the mass consumer society that we all recognize today.