Fairyland Lustre

Fairyland Lustre Ware and Daisy Makeig-Jones

DAISY Makeig-Jones must surely have had fairies living at the bottom of her garden.

Where else could she have found the inspiration for the most magical of ceramic fairy wonderlands created for Wedgwood Fairyland Lustre? The pieces pictured here are products of Daisy's vivid imagination.

One of seven children, Susannah Margaretta 'Daisy' Makeig-Jones was born in 1881 in a small mining village near Rotherham, where her father was a GP.

From an early age, Daisy showed she had an artistic talent and when her father moved his practice to Torquay, she entered the towns School of Art.

After a short spell at a London school of art, she managed, through a relative, to obtain an introduction to Cecil Wedgwood, at that time managing director of the company.

Despite fears that a doctor's daughter might find it difficult to adjust to factory life, in 1909 Daisy joined Wedgwood as a trainee designer.

Wedgwood's rise to prominence in the 18th century was based on innovation in manufacture and designs that, despite being adaptations of classical motifs from the antique, were presented in a new form, which had broad based appeal.

However, during the 19th century Wedgwood lacked the innovation and energy provided by its founder Josiah I, and its wares became for the most part derivative, concentrating almost exclusively on production of its traditional basalt and jasper wares.

By the early 20th century, the factory was nearly bankrupt. The key to its survival to a very large extent was the development, in the early 1900s, of a dazzling range of new glazing techniques, particularly one which produced a finish of multi-coloured iridescence. The catalyst for change at the company's Etruria works in Stoke-on-Trent was Daisy Makeig-Jones fairies. They were loved by some and hated by others, indeed, some thought she was mad, but without doubt, they helped Wedgwood return to profitability after the First World War.

Daisy's art school training helped Wedgwood grow and by 1914, she was considered good enough to be given her own studio.

Fairies bring good luck, they say. Daisy's run of luck began when she was paced in the studio next to the one where trials of new glazes were taking place. Glazes that were to add so much to her inspired designs. There, she was able to watch the paintresses at work and pass to them watercolour drawings of her Fairyland ideas so that, in effect, they became part of the experiments.

In fact, Daisy carried out her own test firings with glazes of different colours and lustres that were later adopted when production began, just nine months after being taken on as a staff designer.

The interest in Fairyland Lustre among today's collectors is, no doubt, fuelled by the urge to own something of such individual character.

However, your search could prove long and expensive. Prosperity was on the decline in the late 1920s and in 1930 a new chairman took the helm at Wedgwood who did not appreciate fairyland lustre ware. Daisy Makeig-Jones was asked and then told to retire, which she did under duress in 1931.

Daisy Makeig-Jones died in 1945, but her fairyland scenes have grown and continue to grow in popularity. Because of her early retirment scarcity plays a large part in boosting saleroom prices for Fairyland Lustre and very little actually comes to the market.

Fairyland lustre ware is also the type of item that can be overlooked at an auction, whether in the right place, or wrong place, depending on how you look at it. Some designs are more subtle than others and only close inspection will show the depth and quality of the piece.

Look closely and perhaps the fairies will bring you a little luck at the local jumble or yard sale.