Vintage 1930’s Susie Cooper Coffee Can Wedding Band Pattern Art Deco

No. 4.

Vintage, Art Deco, from the 1930’s Susie Cooper Coffee Can, in the Wedding Band pattern 817, decorated in soft shades of sea greens, pale yellow, dove greys all on a creamy ground.

An early design by Susie as an independent, the triangle mark was replaced by the Leaping Deer in 1930.

Marks to the base:

Leaping deer – SUSIE COOPER PRODUCTION – CROWN WORKS – BURSLEM – ENGLAND

Hand painted in green – 817- K to can, K to saucer.

Approximate Measurements

Height - Can – 2 1/4 inches (5.7 cm)

Diameter – Saucer 4 ½ inches (11.5 cm)

                        

Condition

Very good condition, crazing as is often found on Susie’s pottery from this period

Please refer to the photographs as they form an important part of the description.

Shipping may be combined where possible.

 

 

Susie Cooper RDI 1902 - 1995

Born in 1902 in the Stansfield area of Burslem, Stoke on Trent, Susie Cooper's education eventually found her studying under the influence of Gordon Forsyth, having been awarded a scholarship at the Burslem School of Art. Intending to pursue a career in fashion, her application to the Royal College of Art, London was rejected because she was not currently working in a related industry. Gordon Forsyth suggested that Susie should work for a local potter, A.E.Gray in order to meet the college requirements. In 1922 Susie joined A.E.Gray initially to train as a paintress, however she was soon promoted to resident designer.

Early Years of Independence

With an increased desire to design shapes as well as patterns Susie left Gray's to establish the 'Susie Cooper pottery' in October 1929. With the help of her family and particularly her brother in law, Susie took two rooms in a building known as the George Street Pottery, Tunstall. With the help of six paintresses a paint shop and office were established and then the decoration of pots began.

After three weeks the George Street Pottery was closed by the owners creditors, so Susie was forced to relocate. It was March 1930 before They managed to find suitable premises. This time the chosen site was the Chelsea Works a small pottery in Moorland Road, Burslem.

 

Chelsea Works and Crown Works

Keen to resume production, Susie initially bought in white ware for decorating from various manufacturers, blacking out their factory marks and adding her own. (Susie Cooper Productions enclosed in a triangle and rubber-stamped in black.) Demand for Susie Cooper ware grew steadily and despite taking on extra staff, it became necessary to find larger premises. Wood & Sons of Burslem could provide Susie with the best quality white-ware that she required and at a reasonable price. With this in mind, it was decided that it would be advantageous to move Susie Cooper Productions to premises adjacent to Wood's factory. This move into her famous 'Crown Works' took place in August 1931.

 

The bulk of her production during these early years reflected the tastes of the times, bright floral's, geometric and modernist designs in bold hand painted colours. The first shapes designed by Susie as an independent appeared in 1930 with the assistance of Wood & Sons and around the same time the triangle mark was replaced by the Leaping Deer version which has become the most commonly associated mark with her work.

This was a time of expansion for Susie, productivity was high, new shapes were being introduced, lithograph patterns were developed, heralding a move away from predominately hand painted wares. In 1932 the Kestrel shape was launched, and a range of studio pieces was added to her range. 1933 saw developments in crayon decoration and 1935 saw the introduction of her most famous lithograph pattern, 'Dresden Spray.'

The War Years

1939 brought the outbreak of the Second World War and with it constraints on the production of pottery. Production became almost impossible in May 1942 when a fire swept through Crown Works destroying Susie's stock of lithographs. The factory was closed as a result. It was 1945 before the factory re-opened