A cushion cover made from printed velveteen produced by Thomas Wardle of Leek. 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 then visited Bengal to report on silk manufacture there. 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 and revenue to many in the area.

This example shows Wardle’s improved methods of block-printing and dyeing, many of 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.