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Textile Design

Design
1958-1964
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Vivien Shaw (1926-2014, nee Marsh) was born in West Yorkshire and attended Huddersfield School of Art where she studied textile design. In about 1948 she moved to Manchester after getting a job with Grafton Furnishings (F W Grafton & Co Ltd-founded 1855) . She was offered positions in both dress and furnishing fabric design, but chose to work with curtains as she felt it gave her a larger and freer canvas to work with.

Grafton Furnishings specialised in roller-printed cottons and also manufactured good quality, brightly coloured furnishing fabrics for the high street. They designed fabric for both the traditional and modern ‘contemporary’ markets.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • Textile Design (generic title)
  • Parnassus (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Painted on paper, and then mounted on card
Brief description
Vivien Shaw; Design for textile, 1958-1964
Physical description
Grid design, green and orange/brown squared containing stylised liner floral inspired patters, these are all outlined with white on a grey background. black lines divide up squares of colour with crosses and circles where the lines intersect.
The design has been mounted on grey card.
Dimensions
  • Height: 46.5cm
  • Width: 39.5cm
Style
Marks and inscriptions
  • 104A (On back )
  • 200 (On back )
  • Vivien Shaw 88A Kirkmansholme Lane Longsight Manchester 12 (On back)
Credit line
Given by Alex Dowse and Vicky Brooks
Production
‘Parnassus’ (this design) and ‘Avalon’ (E.701-2016) were advertised in House and Garden in February 1955. In this advertisement ‘Parnassus’ was described as “Simplicity of design in white, grey and black on vibrant ground shades” and ‘Avalon’ as “A bold stylised lead design in subtly blended shades”. These are both also advertised as being printed on Grafton’s new ‘Home-craft all cotton texture fabric with guaranteed fast colours’.
Summary
Vivien Shaw (1926-2014, nee Marsh) was born in West Yorkshire and attended Huddersfield School of Art where she studied textile design. In about 1948 she moved to Manchester after getting a job with Grafton Furnishings (F W Grafton & Co Ltd-founded 1855) . She was offered positions in both dress and furnishing fabric design, but chose to work with curtains as she felt it gave her a larger and freer canvas to work with.

Grafton Furnishings specialised in roller-printed cottons and also manufactured good quality, brightly coloured furnishing fabrics for the high street. They designed fabric for both the traditional and modern ‘contemporary’ markets.
Collection
Accession number
E.702-2016

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Record createdJanuary 8, 2016
Record URL
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