“About this time Josiah Wedgwood was making a complete revolution in the art of pottery; and four years after Messrs. Sadler and Green’s invention was announced to the world, Wedgwood brought out his celebrated Queen’s ware. Dr. Gagerly seizing upon the new style of ornamentation invented in Liverpool, he immediately made arrangements with the proprietors for decorating his hitherto cream-coloured Queen’s ware by their process; and accordingly I find him making the plain body at Burslem, and sending it in that state to Liverpool by waggon, where it was printed, and again returned to him by the same conveyance, except in the case of those orders that must go by sea, fit for the market. This he continued to do until near the time of his death, when we find by invoices in my possession that ware was sent to Liverpool and printed by Mr. Guy Green as late as 1794. A little before this time, his manufactory at Etruria having been made complete in all other branches of the art, and the manufacture at Liverpool being much decayed, he engaged many of the hands formerly employed there: amongst the indentures is the name of John Pennington, son of James Pennington, manufacturer of china, dated 1784, to be taught the art of engraving in aquatint, and thus he was enabled to execute the printing on his own premises in Staffordshire, thereby saving the expense of transport to and fro. In proof that Mr. Wedgwood did this, I may quote a few passages from letters to his partner, Mr. Bentley, in London. He says:—
“‘1776.—We wrote to Mr. Green in consequence of your letter, acquainting that a foreign gentleman wanted a series of ware printed with different landskips, but that he would not confirm the order without knowing how many different designs of landskips we could put upon them.’
“Mr. Green’s answer is:—
“‘The patterns for landskips are for every dish a different landskip view, &c.; about 30 different designs for table, soup, and dessert plates, and a great variety for various purposes of tureens, sauce boats, &c.’
“‘1768.—The cards (address) I intend to have engraved in Liverpool, &c.’
“‘1769.—One crate of printed tea-ware.’
“On the other hand I find letters from Mr. Green to Mr. Wedgwood:—
“‘1776.—Your Mr. Haywood desires the invoice of a box of pattern tiles sent some time ago. As I did not intend to make any charge for them, I have no account of the contents. The prices I sell them for to the shops are as follows:—For black printed tile, 5s. per dozen; green vase tile, 4s. ditto; green ground, 4s. ditto; half tiles for borders, 2s. 9d. ditto; rose or spotted tiles, 3s. 6d. ditto, &c.’
“‘1783.—I have put the tile plate to be engraved as soon as I received your order for doing it; but by the neglect of the engraver it is not yet finished, but expect it will be completed tomorrow.’
“‘1783.—Our enamel kiln being down prevented us sending the goods forward as usual.’