Pottery Ladies. Miss Cooper, Miss Cliff, Miss Rhead and all the forgotten girls...... (Clarice Cliff) - ACE155.3

Paintress relates an anecdote about Cliff checking up on the women’s time-keeping. Paintresses commenting on the same event. Davies talking about how "filthy" and old-fashioned the pottery was. VO continues over original film and photographs of a pottery. Paintress talking about how well they all worked as a team. VO over group photograph. Paintress talking about the fun they had, and about Nellie Webb leading them in singing. Group talking about being left to get on with their work. The "Bizarre" trademark. Talking continues. Paintress describes how Cliff would try out her designs in watercolour. Paintress (Ethel Barrow) saying that when a new pattern emerged, everyone would have to change over to producing it. Cottage with smoking chimney and other patterns on conical sugar sifters. Paintress on ware coming in plain and being patterned in the painting room. Paintress explains that she and two others – Gladys Scarlett and Nellie Harrison – who worked secretly on the Bizarre designs before they were in general production. Photograph of Cliff. Vases in various designs ("May Avenue", etc.). Barrow talking about being given new "Crocus" design to paint. Davies expresses her admiration for the skill of the paintresses. Paintress explains how crocuses and their leaves were painted; hands working on a pot. Item in "Crocus" pattern with Ethel Cliff’s VO describing how several dozen people would work for days with the same pattern. Photograph of woman banding a bowl. Ethel Cliff on the popularity of "Crocus". Barrow says they could easily produce a hundred tea services a day. Examples of "Bonjour" tea ware in "Crocus". Barrow talking about how much they were paid for different jobs. Paintress says they had to buy their own brushes. Barrow and others still talking about piece work and the difficulty of being precise about how much they completed in a day. Paintress on exhibitions and demonstrations. Discussion continues over photograph of women on the back of a truck, and another group photograph with women wearing fancy costumes.