Susie Cooper - Life and work

Ceramic designer and manufacturer, born in Burslem, Staffordshire, C England, UK. After designing for A E Gray (1922–9), she founded a decorating studio at Tunstall, known as Susie Cooper Pottery. In 1931 she moved to Burslem and used earthenware supplied mainly by Wood & Sons. She became famous for functional shapes with simple hand-painted patterns, and in 1940 was appointed a Royal Designer for Industry. In 1950 she acquired a bone-china factory, renamed Susie Cooper China Ltd, which became part of the Wedgwood group in 1966 and closed in 1980.

Susie Cooper (October 29, 1902 – July 28, 1995) was a prolific ceramic designer working in the Stoke-on-Trent pottery industries from the 1920s to the 1980s.

Life and work

Born in the Stanfields area of Stoke-of-Trent, she was the youngest of seven children.

A. In 1929, motivated by her desire to design ceramic shapes in addition to decors, she broke away with her brother-in-law Albert "Jack" Beeson to set up her own business, as Susie Cooper Potteries.

Susie worked for many other pottery firms over the next several decades, including Wedgwood. In 1940 she was awarded the Royal Designer for Industry by the Royal Society of Arts, and in 1979 she received an OBE.

At the age of 80 she retired to live on the Isle of Man, where she died in 1995. Like other Potteries based ceramic designers such as Clarice Cliff and Charlotte Rhead, her work has become highly sought after and valued by pottery collectors.