1851 - 1921

Charles Brayford Brough was born in 1855 in Shelton New Road, Stoke-on-Trent. He was the son of Benjamin, a publican, and Elizabeth. They had five children.

The first record of Brough in the Museum's records is in 1884 but he could have worked here as early as 1881. He was an artist of great merit painting all subjects with equal skill. In 1887 Arthur Perry, another premier artist at Spode, became his apprentice and in an interview with the late Len Whiter said of Brough: 'he was the only artist at that time who worked in raised paste and gold'. Signed plates are known showing his skill in this field. Perry says that his master pushed him hard and he too learned the art of working in gold which was rare for an artist's apprentice at this time.

In 1889 Brough painted exhibition pieces for the Paris exhibition which won him praise in the local paper 'The Staffordshire Advertiser'. In 1897 he was chosen to demonstrate painting before the Prince and Princess of Wales who visited Spode. In a report of the visit it states 'Mr. C. Brough, who is a successful artist of the Sèvres School, was engaged in a copy of the Windsor vase, now in the possession of the Queen, an elegant ornament, typical of the artistic reproductions of the firm in porcelain'.

In 1903 he left Copelands to join Doulton as their premier fish and game painter. The following year he won the bronze medal at the Universal Exposition Saint Louis, which was commemorating the acquisition of the Louisiana territory. It is thought that he left Doulton in 1911 to go to the Poulson Bros. Pottery, West Riding to be Decorating Manager and was there for three years. Possibly he then retired.

Brough was a keen cyclist and was captain of the North Staffordshire Wheelers. He was said to be stern and sometimes ruthless and very strict about observing Sunday. He became a Wesleyan local preacher.

His son Joseph joined Copelands possibly in 1897 and stayed until 1916. He is known to have painted exotic birds and flowers. Little is known about him and it seems he was not quite of the same standard as his father.