Eric Olsen was born in Norway in 1903. He studied at the Oslo School of Art, St. Martin's School of Art, London and at the faience studio at Sèvres. He worked at Wedgwood as a designer and modeller in 1931 designing a range of Art Deco relief-moulded ornamental earthenware. He was brought to Spode in 1932 where he had a studio of his own and he was given carte blanche to use any of the glazes and bodies at the factory. Apparently his studio was 'off limits' to everyone and even his close friends never set foot inside. Some of the Olsen pieces were beautifully thrown and in the style of studio pottery. Stunning glazes were used on these one-off items.

Olsen excelled at modelling rather than surface design. He is best remembered for his animal figures. All of these were produced in both the Royal Jade and Velamour glazes. Velamour was an earthenware with a cream coloured glaze introduced in about 1932 and produced until 1940 and then from c1953 until 1969. A promotional pamphlet from this period explains 'The texture of the smooth matt glaze gives it a quality of its own avoiding the glare and crude reflections emitted by the bright glazes ordinarily employed.' Royal Jade was a matt green glaze produced from about 1932 until 1938.

Olsen's greatest popular successes were probably his Toby Jugs of Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt. These were so popular that an entire department was set aside for their production. Subsequently Olsen designed a statuette of Churchill leaving No. 10 Downing Street modelled after a photograph.

Although the company did not encourage their designers to promote themselves as individuals Olsen's reputation was growing. In 1936 he was selected as a National Register Designer by the English Board of Trade and in 1937 an exhibition of his studio type wares in London was opened by the Queen of Norway.

In 1942 Olsen left Copeland's to join the Norwegian Quartermaster General where he was a camouflage expert. After World War II he emigrated to the United States where he became chief designer at Haeger Potteries in Illinois.

With thanks to The Review (Vol.1) published by The Spode Society for the use of their article on Eric Olsen by Victoria Bergesen