Abstract:
In 1737, Andrew Duche was the first English colonist in the new world to make porcelain from clay he received from the Cherokee Indians of western North Carolina. After initial enthusiasm and financial success, sales in porcelain from Cherokee clay waned until the 1760's. In 1767, potter Josiah Wedgwood of England reintroduced the product to the British Empire when he acquired Cherokee clay from the Cherokee village of Ayoree in western North Carolina. This was done through the work of his agent, Thomas Griffiths, who also provided a trove of information about Cherokee society and Indian-English trade relations.