Clarice Cliff
A ceramic revolutionary who splashed the drab post-war world with bold, geometric patterns and unleashed a new era of art deco tableware.
1899–1972 (age 73)·English artist·Birthday: January 20·The Lost Generation
Biography
Clarice Cliff's story is a blast of colour against the industrial grey of the Staffordshire potteries. Starting as an apprentice gilder at 13, she learned the trade from the ground up. Her big break came when she joined the Wilkinson's Royal Staffordshire Pottery, where an encouraging manager gave her discarded 'seconds' to experiment on. Cliff painted them with her now-famous, jazzy patterns—Bizarre, Fantasque, and Crocus—featuring triangles, zigzags, and sunbursts in vivid oranges, yellows, and greens. In the 1930s, she wasn't just a designer; she became a brand, her name stamped on ware marketed directly to a new, modern woman. Cliff managed an all-female team of painters, the 'Bizarre Girls,' and her work transformed pottery from formal dinner services into cheerful, affordable art for daily life. Her designs captured the optimistic, forward-looking spirit of the era and remain highly sought-after by collectors.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Clarice was born in 1899, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Clarice Was Born
The biggest hits of 1899
Clarice's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1899Born
President: William McKinley
1904Started school
New York City opens its first subway line
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1912Became a teenager
Titanic sinks on its maiden voyage
President: William Howard Taft
1915Could drive
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
President: Woodrow Wilson
1917Could vote
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
President: Woodrow Wilson
1920Turned 21
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1929Turned 30
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1939Turned 40
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1949Turned 50
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1959Turned 60
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1969Turned 70
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Died at 73
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
Key Achievements
- Became the art director of Newport Pottery, a rare position for a woman in the early 20th-century ceramics industry.
- Created and commercialized the 'Bizarre' range, which became a phenomenal commercial success in the 1930s.
- Her work is held in major museums including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
- A 2004 auction saw a single Clarice Cliff 'Monarch' vase sell for over £39,000, highlighting her enduring value.
Did You Know?
During World War II, she produced simple, patriotic pottery with motifs like 'Air Force' and 'Women's Land Army.'
She married the company's co-owner, Colley Shorter, in 1940.
Much of her original hand-painted work was signed simply 'Clarice Cliff.'
“I was told my patterns were too bright and would never sell, but I just went on designing what I liked.”
