Cushion cover

This cushion cover was made from printed velveteen produced by Thomas Wardle of Leek. The cover is in its original condition and it is unlikely that it was ever used. The distinctive browns and greens show it was made specifically for clients who preferred decoration in the so-called 'Aesthetic' taste.

Thomas Wardle was one of the leading British manufacturers of the late 19th century. He also became a leading expert on the manufacture and dyeing of silk. He first visited India in 1885 in order to make a collection of silk textiles and embroideries for the Silk Culture Court of the Colonial and Indian Exhibition. He was then requested to visit Bengal to report on silk manufacture there. He recommended improvements in the industry including sending manufacturers to Italy and France to study production. He concluded that India could supply the greater part, if not all, of the raw material which England required and his advice helped bring work to many in this area and a revenue of £90,000 to £100,000 a year to the State Durbar, a large sum at the time.

This example shows Wardle's improved methods of block-printing and dyeing, many ideas for which he had learned in India. He also used historic eastern patterns for his work, collected both from printed sources and items collected during his trips abroad. This pattern with its hot colouring of browns and rust reds is clearly influenced by Indian design.