Haemoglobin 8.26
Furnishing Fabric
1951-1959 (manufactured)
1951-1959 (manufactured)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The Festival of Britain held in 1951 provided new opportunities for textile design and manufacture. Two very distinct types of pattern emerged at this event: one was inspired by scientific, crystal-structure diagrams drawn to record arrangements of atoms in matter; the other based on abstract forms and organic shape, the so-called 'Contemporary' style. This design derived from the crystallography model Haemoglobin 8.26, provided by the crystallographer Max Perutz, and was manufactured from 1951 onwards, being available still in 1959. It was probably intended for use as lace curtaining.
The Festival Pattern Group was the brainchild of Mark Harland Thomas of the Council of Industrial Design. He built on the idea first put forward in 1946 by crystallographer Dr Helen Megaw that the patterns made available by X-ray crystallography were particularly appropriate for textile design because of their repetitive symmetry and natural beauty. In 1949 he brought together the group of manufacturers who produced textiles, china, carpets, linoleum and wallpaper decorated with these patterns for the Festival. The project combined science and design and was perfect for the theme of the festival, which was to be a platform for British achievement in science, technology and the arts.
The Festival Pattern Group was the brainchild of Mark Harland Thomas of the Council of Industrial Design. He built on the idea first put forward in 1946 by crystallographer Dr Helen Megaw that the patterns made available by X-ray crystallography were particularly appropriate for textile design because of their repetitive symmetry and natural beauty. In 1949 he brought together the group of manufacturers who produced textiles, china, carpets, linoleum and wallpaper decorated with these patterns for the Festival. The project combined science and design and was perfect for the theme of the festival, which was to be a platform for British achievement in science, technology and the arts.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Haemoglobin 8.26 |
| Materials and techniques | Machine-embroidered cotton lace |
| Brief description | Furnishing fabric 'Haemoglobin 8.26' of machine-embroidered cotton lace, designed by H. Webster, made by A.C. Gill, Nottingham, 1951-1959 |
| Physical description | Furnishing fabric of machine-embroidered cotton lace. With a design based on a crystal structure diagram of haemoglobin. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Production type | Mass produced |
| Credit line | Given by the Council of Industrial Design |
| Object history | Machine-embroidered cotton lace; 1951-9; British; manufactured by A.C.Gill of Nottingham (of Festival Pattern Group) to design by H. Webster; crystallographer Max Perutz; Haemoglobin 8.26; Festival of Britain (trademark Witchcraft Laces). |
| Historical context | X-ray crystallography involved projecting a narrow beam of X-rays on to crystalline material. Photographs were then taken of the diffracted X-rays, and the resulting lines or spots were used to plot 'maps' indicating the relationships between atoms. For the first time ever it enabled scientist to work out the structure of atoms within molecules. Britain was a world leader in the field of crystallography and during the post war period this was one of the most significant and stimulating branches of science. |
| Association | |
| Summary | The Festival of Britain held in 1951 provided new opportunities for textile design and manufacture. Two very distinct types of pattern emerged at this event: one was inspired by scientific, crystal-structure diagrams drawn to record arrangements of atoms in matter; the other based on abstract forms and organic shape, the so-called 'Contemporary' style. This design derived from the crystallography model Haemoglobin 8.26, provided by the crystallographer Max Perutz, and was manufactured from 1951 onwards, being available still in 1959. It was probably intended for use as lace curtaining. The Festival Pattern Group was the brainchild of Mark Harland Thomas of the Council of Industrial Design. He built on the idea first put forward in 1946 by crystallographer Dr Helen Megaw that the patterns made available by X-ray crystallography were particularly appropriate for textile design because of their repetitive symmetry and natural beauty. In 1949 he brought together the group of manufacturers who produced textiles, china, carpets, linoleum and wallpaper decorated with these patterns for the Festival. The project combined science and design and was perfect for the theme of the festival, which was to be a platform for British achievement in science, technology and the arts. |
| Associated objects |
|
| Bibliographic reference | Lesley Jackson. From atoms to patterns. Crystal structure designs from the 1951 Festival of Britain (London, 2007), p. 63. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | CIRC.64-1968 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | November 21, 2007 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
