Design
1784-1792 (designed)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This is a design for embroidery on muslin or gauze. It is probably for the border of a petticoat to a woman's open gown or for the border of the gown itself. Women wore gowns that were open in front to reveal the petticoat. This design is for the embroidery along the border above the bottom hem of a petticoat and also for such a border on the gown itself. The design repeated so that this pattern continued around the border.
The motif of bows with tassels appears to be generic and occurs on a length of mull (a light muslin) embroidered in coloured silks in a private collection and in a 'Pattern for a Train, Drawn by Mr Styart in Plate IV of The Fashionable Magazine published n London in 1786.
The motif of bows with tassels appears to be generic and occurs on a length of mull (a light muslin) embroidered in coloured silks in a private collection and in a 'Pattern for a Train, Drawn by Mr Styart in Plate IV of The Fashionable Magazine published n London in 1786.
Object details
Object type | |
Brief description | Anonymous designs for embroidery, 18th century |
Object history | The designs were bequeathed to the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1973 by Raymond Johnes who had 'enormous and miscellaneous collections'.* Johnes' collection included Japanese art, on which he published,** Indian and European material. He did not specialise in collecting textiles although he owned some examples. He was in contact with the Museum 1920s-1970 offering to sell objects from his collection. Johnes did not provide the Museum with information about the history of ownership of the designs. *Mr B.W. Robinson, former Keeper of the Far Eastern Department, V&A, in a letter to Mr Ayres, Assistant- Keeper in the same Department, V&A Regsitry, nominal file, (MA/1/J479). **Johnes, Raymond. Japanese Art London: Spring Books, 1961. |
Production | The design comes from a group of designs that were part of a retailer's archive which employed professional embroiderers. The names of the female clients inscribed on the designs were of the aristocracy, gentry or from wealthy families that moved in the upper reaches of society. They had homes in the country and came to London for the season. Retailers who sold such designs were linen drapers and lacemakers, both of which categories existed in London and were available to the clients. Many pattern drawers worked in London where their trade proved a lucrative business during the season. The similarity of some of the designs from this group to those by Styart, whose designs were published in London, does support the argument that these designs came from a retailer's archive based in London. |
Summary | This is a design for embroidery on muslin or gauze. It is probably for the border of a petticoat to a woman's open gown or for the border of the gown itself. Women wore gowns that were open in front to reveal the petticoat. This design is for the embroidery along the border above the bottom hem of a petticoat and also for such a border on the gown itself. The design repeated so that this pattern continued around the border. The motif of bows with tassels appears to be generic and occurs on a length of mull (a light muslin) embroidered in coloured silks in a private collection and in a 'Pattern for a Train, Drawn by Mr Styart in Plate IV of The Fashionable Magazine published n London in 1786. |
Collection | |
Accession number | E.269-1973 |
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Record created | November 9, 2005 |
Record URL |
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