Beyond Blue and White: The Hidden History of Delftware and the Women Behind the Iconic Ceramic

by Genevieve Wheeler Brown, Christa Lewis (Narrator)

An engaging work of cultural history that reveals the stories behind one of the world's most coveted and beloved ceramic.

When over seventy-five pieces of rare and intriguing seventeenth and eighteenth century Delftware are rediscovered in an historic Manhattan townhouse, decorative art advisor and writer Genevieve Wheeler Brown quickly recognizes that, together, these pieces tell an amazing story. What begins as a curatorial exercise quickly evolves not only into an exploration of this colorful, expressive, and sometimes even humorous decorative art, coveted for hundreds of years, but also an unexpected uncovering of forceful female lives yet untold.

Connecting the accounts of women across centuries, Beyond Blue and White allows us to craft a more complete picture of female experience through the lens of material culture.

Beyond Blue and White is a colorful celebration of an iconic decorative art and dynamic women living in extraordinary times. Wheeler-Brown's rich narrative encourages us to see beyond the dazzling cobalt glaze of Delftware to consider that these vessels are also our connection to a history with a fascinating group of women at its center.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, Art

Audible Audio

Published March 10, 2026

Reviews

[Wondrously Bookish Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I know anything about ceramics before now? Absolutely not. Did I enjoy this audiobook tremendously and have learnt something in the bargain? Absolutely yes.

Not only is the author highly knowledgeable on ceramics, she manages to convey this wealth 9f knowledge in the most fascinating of ways, delving by turns into the chemistry of porcelain and ceramics making, its history on the world stage, and more specifically, Dutch women's special role in the making of Delftware.

I would recommend this book to fans of ceramics a and newbies alike and, if at all possible, in auidobook form as the narrator did a brilliant job both with the rhythm of the story and the pronunciation of the much trickier Dutch words.

Thank you Netgalley for this ALC.

[Suzan · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

Enlightening. An interesting tale of Delft Blue pottery and the many women within it.

[Madeleine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was so well thought through, and a joy to read. It felt like the author genuinely loved exploring the history of Delftware, and that enthusiasm made me excited to keep reading. I thought the illustrations were really well chosen, and appreciated that they showed not just Delft pottery but also the environments where it would be displayed; the engravings of interiors, the social contexts, etc. They really made it easier to imagine the world this pottery was created in, and it felt totally immersive to read about things like historical royal gardens featuring giant Delftware vases and displays and then see illustrations of examples of those vases!

I immediately went to look up whether the author had other books out, and didn't see any others yet. So, publishing world, please publish more of her books! I want to read them! This is the kind of art history perspective I'm always wishing there was more of. A genuine, enthusiastic exploration of a facet of art history that I hadn't looked into before, giving an in-depth look at the world behind some really interesting crafts, with a focus on women's overlooked artistic work. I want to read so many books like this. I picked this off of the art history shelves of my local bookstore and bought it simply because I've been curious about the history of different kinds of pottery, and I'm so very glad I did.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent history of Delftware and the cultural and art historical history of Delft.

I love histories that balance the sociocontextual significance of the subject with the science of it, and this book does well with conveying the history of Delftware as it impacts economics. culture, and collecting, as well as with the nuts and bolts of how the objects are actually made.

This isn’t original research in the art historical sense, but as far as I know it is the first time a writer and researcher has attempted to focus their text primarily on the history of women and Delftware, and as a result this feels like new information, even to someone like me who has an educational background in Dutch art.

Mostly I think this would make an excellent primer for those new to the subject of Delftware, though there is plenty here for readers who come in with some prior knowledge of the subject.

Wheeler Brown also touches on some general Dutch history and the art historical history of Delft in this era, and the result is an imminently readable micro history that also hits on some broader topics.

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

[LillyBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed the first three-fourths of this non-fiction work when the author discussed actual Delft pottery: the history, the styles, the surprising number of women involved in the art, and the culture of the Netherlands at the time that enabled it.

However, the last two chapters lost me in a tangent about a modern New England philanthropic group that collected some Delft pottery. The amount of time spent on this group is far out of proportion to the topics covered earlier, including such unrelated topics as a shipwreck (during which no pottery is broken), a crumbling Revolutionary house (where there’s no pottery), etc. A page or two on this group would have been fine, but I would rather have had two chapters on the modern state of Delft pottery and crafters of it.

[anautumnaldream · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a wild entry into my reading list this year because i had never heard of this book before this month. however i am so glad that i ended up listening to it. i learned so much and enjoyed the way author gave me a look into the history of delftware. an absolute fun read.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half was great, I loved learning about women who produced Delftware. The second half about the museum where the author encountered Delftware was really drawn out and too long. It felt like two books smushed together.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read about the history of Delftware and the women that shaped it: from widows that ran production houses to New York’s elite building museums to save it.

[Kidlitter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific history that reads like a good novel. I will never look at a piece of Delftware the same way again.

[luna · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 stars

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did! Brown did a wonderful job at highlighting the history of Delftware, especially on such a broad scale.

[Stuart Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating account of the intersection between Dutch and American women from the 17th century on based on the famous "blue and white" pottery developed in Delft.

[Lacy Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful read for Women's History Month. I learned a lot, not only about the history of women in ceramic arts, but about general Dutch history, and prominent collectors of Delftware from elsewhere in the world.

The text has a common failing of some nonfiction that was adapted from academic works where some information was repeated in chapter intros. Not sure if this book was adapted from a dissertation or other body of research, but it didn't feel too dry and "academic". I felt like the real strength of this book was the author's obvious passion for the subject and how strong the sense of place was in the stories. Through the descriptions of the collections and workshops, I could imagine the settings very vividly though I did find myself a few times looking up photos online of types of ceramics and locations mentioned in the text to see if what I'd imagined matched reality.

I thought the narrator did a very good job with pronunciation of Dutch place names and terms.

[Catherine Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

The entire book was phenomenal, it was interesting and captivating and told facts through story’s. I was able to envision the story’s perfectly which made the reading an experience in a different world. I truly recommend this if your looking to learn about the netherlands and everything delft.