We are already over half-way through Royal Doulton’s 200th Anniversary year and the thing that collectors comment most about regarding the new commemorative pieces that mark this landmark occasion is their sheer diversity – something that Royal Doulton has always been famous for.
John Doulton was the founder of what we know as Royal Doulton today. Whilst he was famous for
manufacturing utilitarian objects in salt-glaze stoneware with his son Henry, once their business was on a firm footing they were quick to turn their attention to creating art wares at their Lambeth studio in London. It was Henry’s drive which is credited with propelling the successful drainpipe business into the art world. Certainly the income from their traditional utilitarian wares funded their art department over the decades. Henry’s association with John Sparkes, the head of the Lambeth School of Art, provided Doulton with their first artists, their names being instantly recognizable today the world over.