Jessie Elaine Hallen (née Brooke; 1902–1983), known as Jessie Van Hallen, was a British ceramicist who worked for George Wade between 1930 and 1940. Born in

Wolstanton Wolstanton is a suburban town on the outskirts of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire. History The Roman road the Rykeneld Street passed through Wolstanton. Wolstanton is mentioned in the Norman Domesday book where it is listed amongst the ...

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of . In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement ...

, she attended Burslem School of Art. She is known for her highly collectible whimsical figurines, such as

garden gnomes Garden gnomes (german: links=no, Gartenzwerge, lit=garden dwarfs) are lawn ornament figurines of small humanoid creatures based on the mythological creature and diminutive spirit which occur in Renaissance magic and alchemy, known as gnomes. T ...

, flowers, animals and ladies. The onset of the Second World War curtailed production of such pieces in favour of those more in line with the war effort. A hall at Staffordshire University is named after her.

References

British ceramicists British women ceramicists 1902 births 1983 deaths People from Wolstanton Alumni of Burslem School of Art {{UK-artist-stub