False Principle no. 16
Furnishing Fabric
ca. 1850 (made)
ca. 1850 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object type
This fashionable printed cotton is a typical example of the most expensive and popular form of summer furnishing available in the mid-19th century. It would have been used for curtains and loose covers on chairs and beds.
Historical Association
The cotton was printed by one of the leading Lancashire printers and exhibited in the Great Exhibition of 1851 by one of the top London furnishing shops, such as Jackson & Graham. In 1852 it was exhibited by Henry Cole in his 'False Principles in Design' exhibition (catalogue no.16) (Marlborough House collection, issued by the Department of Science and Art, 1853) at the Museum of Ornamental Art at Marlborough House, London, and the sample still retains part of its original label for the exhibition.
Design & Designing
This particular design was singled out as bad decoration by Henry Cole because of the 'imitation of ribbon upon chintz, direct imitation of moss roses, want of symmetrical arrangement'. In the introduction to the section on chintz in the exhibition catalogue Richard Redgrave (1804-1888), one of Cole's colleagues, warned that 'the use of imitative floral ornament is peculiarly unsuitable on account of the folds ... The present mode of ornamenting these fabrics seems to have arisen from the false spirit of imitation - a desire to rival the richness of silk.'
This fashionable printed cotton is a typical example of the most expensive and popular form of summer furnishing available in the mid-19th century. It would have been used for curtains and loose covers on chairs and beds.
Historical Association
The cotton was printed by one of the leading Lancashire printers and exhibited in the Great Exhibition of 1851 by one of the top London furnishing shops, such as Jackson & Graham. In 1852 it was exhibited by Henry Cole in his 'False Principles in Design' exhibition (catalogue no.16) (Marlborough House collection, issued by the Department of Science and Art, 1853) at the Museum of Ornamental Art at Marlborough House, London, and the sample still retains part of its original label for the exhibition.
Design & Designing
This particular design was singled out as bad decoration by Henry Cole because of the 'imitation of ribbon upon chintz, direct imitation of moss roses, want of symmetrical arrangement'. In the introduction to the section on chintz in the exhibition catalogue Richard Redgrave (1804-1888), one of Cole's colleagues, warned that 'the use of imitative floral ornament is peculiarly unsuitable on account of the folds ... The present mode of ornamenting these fabrics seems to have arisen from the false spirit of imitation - a desire to rival the richness of silk.'
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | False Principle no. 16 (popular title) |
| Materials and techniques | Roller-printed and glazed cotton |
| Brief description | Roller-printed cotton fabric, False Principle no.16, Lancashire, ca. 1850 |
| Physical description | This typical, high-quality chintz of the mid-nineteenth century represented the finest technical skill of British textile printing at the time of the Great Exhibition of 1851. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | British Galleries:
The False Principles exhibits were drawn from examples displayed in the Great Exhibition of 1851. This fabric was a high-quality and fashionable example of summer furnishing, but it was singled out as bad design. Its three-dimensional, naturalistic style was thought unsuitable for the decoration of a flat textile. Despite this criticism, this type of design remains popular to this day.(27/03/2003) |
| Object history | Acquired from the Great Exhibition of 1851 |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Object type This fashionable printed cotton is a typical example of the most expensive and popular form of summer furnishing available in the mid-19th century. It would have been used for curtains and loose covers on chairs and beds. Historical Association The cotton was printed by one of the leading Lancashire printers and exhibited in the Great Exhibition of 1851 by one of the top London furnishing shops, such as Jackson & Graham. In 1852 it was exhibited by Henry Cole in his 'False Principles in Design' exhibition (catalogue no.16) (Marlborough House collection, issued by the Department of Science and Art, 1853) at the Museum of Ornamental Art at Marlborough House, London, and the sample still retains part of its original label for the exhibition. Design & Designing This particular design was singled out as bad decoration by Henry Cole because of the 'imitation of ribbon upon chintz, direct imitation of moss roses, want of symmetrical arrangement'. In the introduction to the section on chintz in the exhibition catalogue Richard Redgrave (1804-1888), one of Cole's colleagues, warned that 'the use of imitative floral ornament is peculiarly unsuitable on account of the folds ... The present mode of ornamenting these fabrics seems to have arisen from the false spirit of imitation - a desire to rival the richness of silk.' |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.6-1933 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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