Susie Cooper is a name synonymous with excellence in ceramic design, she was without question one of the most important and prolific of all British designers.  She set the highest standards for quality and innovation for over seventy years, and many of her works are icons of ceramic design. 

Susie Vera Cooper was born in Burslem, Staffordshire in 1902. From an early age she developed an interest in drawing and began her art education by attending night classes at the Burslem School of Art. She took classes in freehand drawing, plant drawing and cookery.

In 1922 she joined Gray’s Pottery in order to qualify for a scholarship to the Royal College of Art in London.  Instead,  she decided to stay on in the pottery industry.  During her time at Gray’s she designed many successful ranges. Gray’s bought in blanks of pottery which was then decorated by the firm. Susie was frustrated as she felt restricted by the limited shapes of pottery available to her. 

 In 1929 at the age of 27 she left Gray’s and along with her brother-in-law she set up her own business, Susie Cooper Potteries. This meant she could now design the shapes as well as the decoration of the pottery.  She wanted the freedom to ensure harmony between shape and pattern. 

In 1958 she merged with R.H. & S.L.Plant and began the move to bone china, earthenware started to be phased out.  By 1964 the change over to china was complete. In 1966 Wedgwood took over the companies and Susie Cooper continued as a designer.

In 1979 Susie was awarded the Order of the British Empire in recognition of her services to the British pottery industry and in 1987 she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Royal College of Art.  At the age of 80 she retired to live on the Isle of Man, and died there in 1995. 

Susie Cooper’s ceramic designs have always been appreciated for their beauty and usefulness and are much sought after by galleries and collectors.

We have endeavoured to bring you a wide selection of Susie Cooper designs and styles from her seven decades as a designer.  We are continuously searching for more items to add to our collection and so new items will be added to the website regularly. We hope you enjoy browsing our collection here - https://www.thevintageteapot.co.uk/ourshop/cat_1451484-Susie-Cooper-English-Vintage-China-and-Earthenware.html 

Bibliography:

Susie Cooper, an Elegant Affair by Bryn Yours

Collecting Susie Cooper by Francis Joseph

This is the second in my series of "Focus on.." blogs, each one focusing on a different manufacturer of English vintage china.  The first post focused on Plant Tuscan china and was published in October 2015. I can only apologise for the delay in getting around to writing this second instalment! 

Most English vintage china was manufactured in Stoke on Trent. Stoke on Trent is made up of six towns: Tunstall, Burslem, Hanley, Stoke, Fenton and Longton, these are collectively know as "The Potteries".

Royal Stafford China was founded in 1845 in the town of Longton, Staffordshire, by Thomas Poole.  The firm was called "Thomas Poole (Longton) Ltd" from around 1925.  In 1948 the firm was merged with Gladstone China Ltd and after 1952 it continued under the name "Royal Stafford China".