William Alfred Ismay[1] MBE (10 April 1910 – 13 January 2001) was a librarian, writer and collector in Wakefield, West Yorkshire known for his significant collection of post-war studio pottery.[2] The collection called the W.A. Ismay Collection was bequeathed to the Yorkshire Museum and is one of the world's largest collections of 20th-century studio pottery.[3] It includes work by Bernard Leach, Hans Coper, Shoji Hamada, Takeshi Yasuda, David Leach Dan Arbeid and Lucie Rie.[4]
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Early life edit
Born in Wakefield, an only child, his father was a trouser presser and his mother a school teacher. He attended Wakefield Grammar School and studied classics at Leeds University. Ismay was stationed in India during the Second World War as a signalman in the Royal Signals Corps[5]
From 1955 Ismay collected 3,600 pots from 500 makers.[6] By the time of his retirement in 1975 he was head librarian at Hemsworth Library. In 2014 a blue plaque was unveiled in his honour.[7]
Gallery edit
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Hand-Built decorative tile by Bernard Leach. -
Thrown, Slip Trailed Bowl by Takeshi Yasuda -
Thrown Bowl by Michael Cardew -
Thrown jug by Michael Casson -
Thrown plate by Seth Cardew -
Thrown, Combed tea bowl by Shoji Hamada -
Thrown, Altered, Salt Glazed teapot by Walter Keeler. -
Thrown, Altered jug by Colin Pearson -
Thrown, salt glazed lidded box by Jane Hamlyn -
Thrown Bowl by William Staite Murray -
Thrown, Fluted jar by Katherine Pleydell-Bouverie
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References edit
- ^ "Wakefield Civic Society unveils latest plaque to commemorate the life of William Alfred ('Bill') Ismay MBE". Wakefield Civic Society. 16 January 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
- ^ Schutz, Dana (2014). "Matthew Darbyshire: The W.A. Ismay Collection | What's On | Hepworth Wakefield". hepworthwakefield.org. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
William Alfred Ismay
- ^ "Family 54 - pafn06 - Generated by Personal Ancestral File". ismayons.com. 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ^ "View Collection - York Art Gallery". yorkartgallery.org.uk. 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ^ Cooper, Emmanuel (2010). "Biographies". ismayons.com. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ^ "Matthew Darbyshire: The W.A. Ismay Collection / What's On / Crafts Council". craftscouncil.org.uk. 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ^ "Blue plaque to honour pottery collector - Hemsworth and South Elmsall Express". hemsworthandsouthelmsallexpress.co.uk. 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
he became a librarian