Which of these 18th-century Englishmen campaigned to abolish slavery?

Josiah Wedgwood (12 July 1730 – 3 January 1795) was an English potter and entrepreneur whose designs and ceramic work are still highly regarded today.

Wedgwood was also a prominent slavery abolitionist. His friendship with the abolitionist campaigner Thomas Clarkson aroused his interest in slavery and so, from 1787 until his death, he actively participated in the cause. In this pursuit he found a special way to apply his craftsmanship and business skills.

The Wedgwood medallion (pictured) depicted the seal for the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade. The actual design of the cameo was probably done by either William Hackwood or Henry Webber who were modellers in Wedgwood’s Stoke-on-Trent factory.

Josiah Wedgwood mass-produced copies of this cameo and had them widely distributed. Wedgwood ‘s medallion thus became the most famous image of a black person in 18th-century art. The cameo design was hugely popular and at one point seemed to be found everywhere: large-scale copies were painted to hang on walls and it was used on clay tobacco pipes. Thomas Clarkson wrote: "ladies wore them in bracelets, and others had them fitted up in an ornamental manner as pins for their hair. At length the taste for wearing them became general, and thus fashion, which usually confines itself to worthless things, was seen for once in the honourable office of promoting the cause of justice, humanity and freedom.”