Description:China Manufacture. A clay wedger who kneads the clay to consistency.
Wedging was the process of removing pockets of air from the clay and ensuring consistant texture. The man in the picture is forcing one load of clay onto another to achieve this.
If air pockets remained in the clay they would burst during firing and ruin the ware. This was very heavy work and was very often done by women and children.
Photograph taken in a Stoke on trent potbank, possibly Longton.