Victorian pottery is the earthenware, stoneware and related ceramics made in Britain during the reign of Queen Victoria, from 1837 to 1901. The period saw an enormous expansion of the industry, particularly in Staffordshire, as new technology, cheap transport and a growing middle class created a mass market for decorative and useful wares.
Typical Victorian pottery includes transfer-printed dinner services, Staffordshire flatback figures of royalty, celebrities and animals, ironstone wares, jugs and commemorative pieces. Minton introduced brightly coloured majolica at the Great Exhibition of 1851, and it became fashionable for jardinières, garden seats and tablewares. Doulton's Lambeth works pioneered decorated salt-glazed stoneware, and the later decades brought the art pottery movement, with makers such as William De Morgan, the Martin Brothers, Burmantofts and the Linthorpe Pottery, which worked with Christopher Dresser. Many Victorian wares carry useful marks, including factory backstamps, diamond-shaped design registration marks and, from 1884, registered numbers, which help with dating. Collectors look for strong colour, crisp moulding and printing, and good condition, as chips, crazing and restoration reduce value. Victorian pottery remains plentiful and affordable, making it a rewarding field for new collectors.
