Lucien Emile Boullemier was an English

English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

 footballer and ceramic designer.

Playing career

The son of the French-born ceramic artist Antonin Boullemier, who had moved to Stoke in 1872 to work as a decorator at Minton's factory, Lucien Boullemier worked as a ceramic artist and painter and played for Stoke Alliance, Chesterton White Star, Stone Town and Stoke

Stoke City F.C.

Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...

 before joining Burslem Port Vale

Port Vale F.C.

Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...

 in the summer of 1897. During his five seasons there he hardly missed a game, helping the team win the Staffordshire Senior Cup

Staffordshire Senior Cup

The Staffordshire Senior Challenge Cup is a football cup tournament based in the county of Staffordshire in England first competed for in 1877-78. Organised by the Staffordshire Football Association, it is competed for by a mix of clubs from Staffordshire and the surrounding areas. Both...

 in 1898 and playing in every game of the 1898–99 season

1898–99 Burslem Port Vale F.C. season

The 1898–99 season was Burslem Port Vale's fifth season of football in the Football League; it followed a two season absence, which the club spent in the Midland Football League. A solid return to the Football League, they finished in mid-table. They had the strongest defence in the division as...

. After 192 games for the club (136 in the Football League

The Football League

The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...

) and 8 goals (6 in the football league) he retired in October 1902 to concentrate on his artwork. He emigrated to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, where he played for Philadelphia Hibernian

Philadelphia Hibernian

Philadelphia Hibernian, also known as Hibernian F.C., was an early twentieth century U.S. soccer team which played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-History:...

, and worked for the Lenox China factory in New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

.

His art career seemingly not taking off in the way he had envisaged, he returned to England in 1905 and joined Northampton Town

Northampton Town F.C.

Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...

; in November he made an unsuccessful comeback at Port Vale, where he played just one league game. He retired for good after playing for Northern Nomads

Northern Nomads F.C.

Northern Nomads F.C. was an English football club based in the Manchester area. Established around 1862, they were known as the "Nomads" or "Roaming Brigade" as they never possessed a home ground.-History:...

 and North Staffs Nomads.

Ceramic Design

On his return to England, Boullemier worked at Mintons factory and then at the Soho Pottery in Cobridge, before being recruited by C.T. Maling

Maling pottery

Maling pottery was produced in the north east of England for just over two centuries. The name of the pottery derives from the French surname of Malin. The family were Protestant Huguenots who fled their native land in the sixteenth century to escape the threat of religious persecution...

 of Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...

 to take charge of their decorating department. Until 1926 he had been engaged in painting quite high class porcelain, and he introduced a range of more glamorous designs into the mass-market Maling range, using gold printing techniques and lustred surfaces.

In 1933 he was joined at the company by his son, Lucien George. Three years later, he left to work for the New Hall Pottery Company in Staffordshire

Staffordshire

Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...

, where he produced a range called "Boumier Ware", each piece of which carried his facsimile signature.