In 1763 Mr. Josiah Wedgwood...invented a species of earthen ware, for the table, quite new in its appearance, covered with a rich and brilliant glaze... manufactured with ease and expedition, and consequently
Josiah Wedgwood, quoted in an article published in 1789

In fact, Wedgwood’s self-promotional claim to have invented the cream-colored earthenware, now known as “creamware,” was several fences shy of the truth. Attempts to fire the white salt-glaze clays at a lower temperature and to coat them with yellowing lead glaze had been going on among Staffordshire potters since the 1740s. It was true, nonetheless, that Wedgwood’s salesmanship won him royal patronage and lasting recognition as the creator of what he renamed “Queen’s Ware.”

Nine-tenths of the creamwares produced by Wedgwood and others were undecorated save for their molded rims. But these hold little interest for collectors. More desirable are the hand-painted or transfer-printed examples.