A circular dishform wall plaque hand painted on glaze in Appliqué Lucerne (blue), 1930–4.
IN 1930 Clarice broke new ground once more with her appointment as Art Director to both Newport Pottery and A. J. Wilkinson. It was noted in the press of the day that she was the first woman in the Potteries to hold this prestigious role. Her new position involved spending even more time with Colley, time which gradually developed into the affair that many had suspected for years. By now, she had left her family home in Tunstall and moved to her own flat in Snow Hill, Hanley. It consisted of a lounge, bedroom, bathroom, and small kitchen with dining area. Whilst Colley was known to visit Clarice regularly, factory colleagues were rarely invited.
Clarice and Colley worked closely together on creating an awareness of Bizarre ware to catch the attention of buyers in the middle of a major financial depression. They produced a series of small colour-printed leaflets that could be obtained by post, or picked up directly from stockists. These featured a colour group illustration showing the extent of the range with a combination of vessels, plaques and tea wares together with a list of prices and an explanation of the full range. The series of leaflets, each of which covered a range of pieces in a similar style or set of colours, included ones for Bizarre, Fantasque, Delecia, Inspiration, Crocus and Gayday proved to be a very successful marketing tool.
Clarice’s continued drive to produce even more fantastic patterns saw the creation of the Appliqué range. Introduced in April 1930 it was to become the second most expensive range to produce, owing to a combination of factors including the creative process, the amount of decoration and the quality and cost of the colours used. The original leaflet for Appliqué featured just two patterns, Lucerne and Lugano, but Clarice’s prolific ability to design new patterns meant that by 1932 the Appliqué range had increased to fourteen, with Avignon, Windmill, Red Tree, Idyll, Palermo, Blossom, Caravan, Bird of Paradise, Etna, Garden, Eden and Monsoon. At the time, the range failed to meet with the same public approval experienced with earlier patterns – perhaps it was just too costly. By the end of the year it was all but phased out.
A group of wares comprising an Isis vase, single-handled Lotus jug, and shape 358 vase, all hand painted on glaze in Orange House; and a Heath Fern pot in Green House, 1930.
A single-handled Lotus jug hand painted on glaze in Delaunay, 1929.
Pages from an original Clarice Cliff promotional leaflet, advertising Appliqué wares, showing a selection of shapes decorated in Appliqué Lucerne and Lugano, 1930–1.
The reverse of an original promotional leaflet advertising Clarice Cliff Appliqué wares, explaining the selection of shapes decorated in Appliqué.
A group of wares comprising a Conical jug and Coronet jug hand painted on glaze in Appliqué Lucerne (blue), together with an Isis vase, Conical bowl and shape 186 vase, all hand painted on glaze in Appliqué Lugano, 1930–1.
In September 1930 Clarice issued what was to become one of her keynote shapes, the Stamford teapot, milk jug and sugar bowl. Based on a design by French silversmiths Tétard Frères, the teapot featured a ‘D’ form body with an integral curved handle and square spout that offered a perfect decorating surface for Clarice’s designs. The Stamford shape was launched at the First Avenue Hotel in London, initially in her new landscape design, Trees and House, together with her latest abstract, Melon, and ever popular Crocus. This eye-catching shape proved immensely popular and customers soon ordered tea services in many of Clarice’s other designs, including the bold abstracts Carpet and Tennis. But the use of the shape caused certain problems for Colley when it came to the attention of Tétard Frères, who understandably were not impressed by Clarice’s unapproved use of their design. After a number of heated negotiations, an agreement was finally reached between both parties over permission to use the design.
A group of wares comprising shape 278 vase, shape 422 Stamford biscuit box and cover, Hereford biscuit barrel and cover and shape 265 vase, all hand painted on glaze in Appliqué Palermo, 1930–1.
A Stamford shape early morning tea service hand painted on glaze in Appliqué Lucerne (blue), 1930.
An original 1930s advertisement promoting Clarice Cliff wares, featuring a selection of key shapes, including a Stamford trio and Conical bowl, 1930.
At the same exhibition Clarice unveiled her most daring ceramic creations, the five Age of Jazz figures. These were intended as table ornaments to place before the popular ‘wireless’ whilst listening to the latest jazz. The collection featured the flamboyant double dancers, two further couples and a group of musicians comprising drummer, saxophonist, banjo and piano players. They were a marketing dream and featured heavily throughout the press with pictures of Clarice ‘painting’ them heading coverage of the exhibition. Today they remain some of the most desired pieces of her massive output and continue to be elusive to collectors. Nevertheless, as she and Colley had anticipated, it was the Stamford tea ware that attracted orders; once more Clarice had perfectly judged consumer tastes.
An original marketing leaflet promoting a Stamford shape early morning tea service in Crocus, 1930–2.
In 1931 Clarice and Colley had the idea of installing a wireless in the Bizarre shop so the ‘girls’ could listen to music whilst they painted; again it became an instant newspaper story! The ‘Bizarre girls’ were pictured with the wireless, the caption reading ‘These girl paintresses at the Newport Pottery works have musical interludes on the “wireless” to assist them at work. It is claimed that this original method of “working to music” has stopped talking at work and increased output by twenty-five per cent’. Whether productivity really did go up 25 per cent is irrelevant; once again they achieved a wave of publicity. Photographs of the girls working on Bizarre ware were always good for the order book and continually kept Clarice in the public eye.
A Stamford early morning tea service hand painted on glaze in Trees and House (orange), 1930.
A single handled Lotus jug hand painted on glaze in Tennis, 1930–1.
A Clarice Cliff shape 362 vase hand painted on glaze in Sunspots, 1930–1.
Clarice’s ever-growing pattern book developed over the following months with the introduction of a number of key patterns including two of her most popular landscapes, Autumn and Summerhouse, together with a selection of stylish yet simple fruit patterns including Oranges, Apples, and Oranges and Lemons. As these became the new mainstay of the order books, older patterns that had started to wane in popularity were either retired or re-invented. The sales of Inspiration wares were declining so the technique was adapted for a new pattern, Marigold, which featured the fluid tonal blue hues as a background that was then over-painted on glaze with large blooms. This process was also used for a range of wares called Clouvre. Neither sold well, and so they are sought-after rarities now. Before the year ended, she introduced Red Roofs, Farmhouse, House and Bridge, and the dramatically different Gibraltar patterns to the public. The unusual Gibraltar seascape used only pastel shades of pink, pale green, blue and yellow with none of Clarice’s favourite orange in sight. Essentially a more feminine colourway, it proved popular with buyers and sold well. Even when the vivid geometric and landscape designs were best-sellers, Clarice still created modelled or textured wares, such as Patina, with its slip-decorated surface, and the deeply embossed Marguerite and Scraphito ranges, adding even greater diversity to her already large range of wares.
An original promotional photograph displaying a Stamford early morning tea service on an associated tray, lithograph printed and hand painted in Solomons Seal, 1930.
A shape 422 Stamford biscuit box and cover hand painted on glaze in Summerhouse, 1931.
A Mei Ping vase hand painted on glaze in Autumn (blue), 1930.
A group of Clarice Cliff wares comprising a Stamford teapot, milk jug and sugar bowl, small beaker and shape 515 flower vase, all hand painted on glaze in House and Bridge, 1932.
A shape 14 vase hand painted on glaze in Floreat, 1930.
A Leda shape plate hand painted on glaze in Apples, 1931.
Orders flooded in for the new shapes and patterns and Clarice was forced to take on even more staff including her own sister, Ethel, whom she employed as a bander and liner. Shapes continued to interest Clarice and throughout 1931 she introduced a number of fancies ranging from novelty figures, such as the Lido ashtray, to one of her most enduring shapes, the Conical sugar sifter. Launched in August 1931, the Conical sifter proved an instant success. The idea had been ‘on paper’ for some years, so it remains somewhat of a mystery why Clarice waited so long to bring it to the market. Also the late arrival of such an iconic shape meant that many of her greatest abstract patterns would never be teamed with this simple yet effective design.
A single-handled Lotus jug hand painted on glaze in Oranges and Lemons, 1931.
With seemingly boundless imagination Clarice continued to develop new ways to promote her wares, creating a 6-foot high pottery horse constructed from many of her shapes, decorated in the very latest patterns. The figure of a man was the jockey, and there was also a large stylised tree, the foliage being a mass of plates! The figures were then loaned to the 1931 ‘Crazy Day Parade’ on board the Newport Pottery float and the ‘Bizarre girls’ all dressed up as jockeys and ran alongside the float. Yet again press and publicity followed, with further coverage throughout the popular press. They were then loaned to major retailers to form the centrepiece for window or floor displays and promotional events.
A group of wares comprising shape 405 bookend, single-handled Lotus jug and Stamford shape early morning tea service, all hand painted on glaze in Oranges, 1931.
A group of wares comprising shape 422 Stamford biscuit box and cover, Isis vase and shape 264 vase, all hand painted on Inspiration ground in Marigold, 1931.
A shape 489 Conical sugar sifter hand painted on glaze in Berries, 1931.
Clarice’s widespread international fame was quite astonishing for this still rather camera-shy woman. The publicity she received in the press was unprecedented; time and again, Clarice featured in articles around the world. In the Californian Pasadena Evening Post, Clarice is pictured standing with her Bizooka pottery horse. In the feature she offers what has become one of her most famous and enduring quotes: ‘Having a little fun at my work does not make me any less of an artist, and people who appreciate truly beautiful and original creations in pottery are not frightened by innocent tomfoolery.’
December 1931 saw the culmination of many hours’ promotion and endless successful marketing campaigns when The Daily Sketch featured a full page dedicated to Clarice Cliff and her work. The Bizarre shop was photographed and featured below a headline that read, ‘How famous Bizarre ware is made at Stoke’. Colley ordered up a thousand copies of the paper and ensured that every retail outlet in the country received a copy. Again pure publicity genius! Clarice’s foremost position in the pottery industry was undeniable; she was, without question, at the pinnacle of her career.
An original press photograph showing a window display for Havens Store, Southendon-Sea, featuring the Bizooka horse, jockey and tree, 1931.
In 1932 the Prince of Wales gave a speech challenging British industry to ‘raise the standard of design in its products’ which he believed were not innovative enough to compete with foreign imports. The simultaneous publication of the Gorell Committee’s Report on Art and Education meant that many industries where design was essential were drawn into a project linking them with well-known artists of the day. The Society of Industrial Artists issued a list of designers for the project and Clarice read through this, noting the names of Vanessa Bell, John Armstrong and Paul Nash. Possibly she did not realise the immensity of the task ahead of her. She had to liaise with all the artists whose brief was to produce innovative patterns for tableware. The result was that Clarice suddenly had little time to dedicate to her own work.
A pair of shape 407 novelty Teddy Bear bookends hand painted on glaze in orange and green with black monogram bases, 1933.
An original 1930s press photograph featuring Clarice Cliff standing in front of her Bizooka horse and Fantasque tree, 1931.
A Stamford bachelor tea service hand painted on glaze in Canterbury Bells, 1932.
The first wave of ‘Artists in Industry’ pieces was debuted in the summer of 1933 at the British Industrial Art in Relation to the Home exhibition, at Dorland Hall, London. A negative response from critics and public alike forced a re-appraisal. Colley Shorter was consulted on a further choice of artists and by 1934 nearly thirty new leading names were involved. The list represented some of the greatest British artists of the day including Graham Sutherland, Duncan Grant, Frank Brangwyn, Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson and Laura Knight.
A shape 467 smoker’s set hand painted on glaze in Blue Chintz, 1932.
Socially Clarice had little in common with these artists, but in one, Laura Knight, she found a true friend. Laura Knight was as colourful a character as Clarice and shared an unorthodox approach to art. To capture the colour of the circus for her oil paintings, Laura had lived and toured with Carmo’s Circus; these works provided the inspiration for her designs, Circus tableware. This included modelled shapes that appealed to Clarice, as they were more refined versions of the figurines she had made in the twenties. A candlestick was formed from two chubby clowns seated back to back, and a tureen handle was a clown doing the splits! The pinnacle of the collection, however, was a lamp base that featured clowns and acrobats in a daring feat of performance, stacked one on top of each other to produce the column.
The pressures of working on the project led to disagreements between Clarice and Colley as her heart was not truly in it. Despite the government impetus and touring exhibitions throughout 1934, ‘Artists in Industry’ was deemed a failure. ‘Bizarre’ shapes without ‘Bizarre’ patterns did not tempt the public to pay higher prices.
A Laura Knight ‘Circus ware’ side plate; a printed, colour lithograph with hand painted enamelling.
The British Industries Fair was Clarice’s first major trade show of 1933, and as always was visited by the King and Queen. They were keen to support industry during the Depression and Queen Mary generally chose a few pieces of Crocus each year to add to her collection, avoiding the bolder Bizarre designs! Naturally Clarice had created another new shape – an innovative teapot that she called Bon Jour. Circular and flat-sided, with a simple round finial, it was a natural progression from the Stamford. Bon Jour quickly established itself as Clarice’s most popular teapot, and, in turn, inspired a whole new line in tableware, which she called Biarritz. This incorporated elements from a variety of her existing shapes; plates were square or oblong, whilst tureens were semi-circular and flat-sided with oblong lids. Bon Jour looked stunning in Clarice’s new 1933 landscapes. Secrets, Rudyard, Honolulu and Solitude all went on to become popular sellers, but possibly her most significant pattern of this year was the newly introduced May Avenue.
A single-handled Lotus jug hand painted on glaze in Windbells, 1933.
Named after a place only a few streets away from her Tunstall home, May Avenue featured a row of red-roofed houses nestled amongst spade-shaped trees and blue bushes with a large two-tone tree to the foreground. This design is believed to have been inspired by ‘Landscape at Cagnes’ by Modigliani and again shows how aware Clarice was of the larger art movements in Europe. It also used new decorating techniques where the design was drawn with a pen rather than being outlined by a paintbrush. This allowed for a greater level of detail and a finer final image. Although sales were somewhat limited at the time, this pattern has gone on to become one of the most admired, loved and sought-after landscapes of Clarice’s phenomenal output.
A Bon Jour shape early morning tea service hand painted on glaze in Delecia Citrus, 1933.
A group of wares comprising shape 265 vase, Bon Jour sugar sifter, Isis vase, shape 186 vase and shape 362 vase, all hand painted on glaze in Rudyard, 1933.
Other key patterns followed and Clarice added Coral Firs, Blue Firs and Bridgwater, together with shapes such as Lynton, filling the pattern books with even more options. In 1934 Clarice reverted to her first love, modelling, and produced the My Garden range. It debuted at the Daily Mail Ideal Home Exhibition in July and proved popular for the rest of the decade with numerous variations being issued annually. Whilst the success of My Garden grew, so the more daring patterns of earlier years were beginning to fade in favour of more conservative styles. There were a number of ‘genius moments’, however, with the development of the Bon Jour series of vases, whilst her Yo Yo vases saw subtle alterations, bringing them back to the forefront of the order books.
A shape 515 flower vase hand painted on glaze in Secrets, 1933.
A pair of shape 391 Ziggurat candlesticks hand painted on glaze in Honolulu pattern, 1933.
A large circular ribbed charger hand painted on glaze in May Avenue, 1933.
A Bon Jour shape sugar sifter hand painted on glaze in Coral Firs 1933.
An original Clarice Cliff promotional leaflet for the ‘As you like it’ table centre featuring an arrangement decorated in Blue Firs, 1933.
Two Clarice Cliff shape 469 ‘Liner vases’, each hand painted on glaze in Coral Firs and Honolulu, 1933.
A shape 375 Archaic vase hand painted on glaze in Lydiat, 1933.
A further key development arising from Clarice’s endless inventive design flair was the introduction of yet another new style in decoration – etched brushstrokes. In complete contrast to the brash and bold application of colour seen in earlier Bizarre wares this had colours gently blended together, creating a softer finish. Applied in a freehand manner without outlining, it became most successful with the introduction of the Rhodanthe pattern. Rhodanthe became one of Clarice’s last great stylised florals. Although a lifetime away from the striking geometrics of just four years earlier, it sold in fantastic quantities and was applied to every conceivable item within the pattern range, just like Crocus.
A group of My Garden range wares comprising two shape 677 flower jugs, a shape 670 flower vase and a circular footed bowl, all relief moulded with stylised flowers on glaze decoration, 1934.
A Bon Jour range Tyrol shape bowl, hand painted on glaze in Rhodanthe, 1934.
By 1935 there was a definite change in the mood and character not only of Clarice herself but also of her work. Whether this was a response to the previous year’s difficulties or to the market remains unclear, but throughout 1935 many things began to alter. Whilst the more recent landscapes such as Coral and Blue Firs remained popular, the earlier brighter wares were becoming less in demand. The consumers were leaning towards a softer palette and a more natural style of modelling. Clarice, always one to listen to her audience, moved towards increasing the My Garden range and, as she had done earlier, expanded the range of patterns with the introduction of numerous colour variations of key designs such as Rhodanthe.
An original photograph showing the ‘Bizarre babes’ float in the ‘Crazy Day’ parade of 1935 celebrating the jubilee of King George V, raising funds for local hospitals.
By this time, ‘Bizarre’ was beginning to draw to a natural close. The many original shapes and patterns Clarice had created were phased out and the buyers were seemingly beginning to turn to a different style. A number of Clarice’s favourite paintresses left to start families whilst some key outliners left for higher paid jobs.
In response to a shrinking home market, a major export drive was mounted and Clarice continued to be popular with overseas buyers. Colley Shorter’s foreign dealers distributed Clarice’s pottery to many corners of the globe despite a deepening worldwide Depression and Clarice developed a more rational if somewhat cautious style to her production. She herself was heading towards her thirty-seventh birthday which by the standards of those around her at the time was middle aged. A new mature expression developed in Clarice’s work and with it a new wave of patterns, shapes and, more importantly, sales.
A shape 465 wall pocket hand painted on glaze in Pink Pearls, 1934.
An original promotional advertisement from Modern Home, displaying a Clarice Cliff Windsor shape coffee service in Mowcop, October 1938.