This is a design drawing in pencil, pen and wash on tracing paper for Edward Dannreuther's house at 12 Orme Square by Philip Webb. The drawing shows a plan for the music room in Dannreuther's house. Notes below the drawing give specifics on the number of seats and details about the floor and ceiling. A note indicates the drawing was seen and approved by Emily Orme on 21 January 1873. Dannreuther was a musician and he taught classes and held concerts in the music room. Webb redid the ceiling in 1876 after it began leaking.
Philip Speakman Webb (Oxford, 1831-Sussex, 1915) was a prominent British architect who designed numerous buildings throughout Great Britain. Known for his contributions to British vernacular architecture, Webb was also a skilled draughtsman, and designer of tableware, tiles, stained glass, and furniture. He also designed gravestones and memorials for his friends and clients. Webb lent his hand to many collaborative projects and worked closely with his colleagues, namely William Morris, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Edward Burne Jones. His precise drawings of animals, particularly birds, frequently adorn tiles, stained glass, textiles, and wallpaper produced by Morris and Co. Webb is best known for designing Morris’ Red House in Bexleyheath, as well as Clouds House, Naworth Castle, and several London town houses. Among his other accomplishments, Webb is attributed with laying the groundwork for the Arts and Crafts and Modern movements, establishing longstanding principles in historic preservation, and creating some of the most influential designs still studied and celebrated today.