Margery
Furnishing Fabric
1913 (made)
1913 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The Omega Workshops were founded in 1913 by the designer and painter Roger Fry (1866-1934). He brought together a group of artists to design furniture, pottery, glass, textiles and entire schemes of interior decoration. Their radically abstract style, typified by this textile, was far ahead of its time and was influenced by developments in contemporary painting.
In keeping with the painting tradition, Fry believed that designs should not be too mechanical and should show evidence of the artist's hand. The workshops produced six printed linens which were used by the most daring clients as dress fabrics. The printers are said to have used a secret process to 'preserve the freedom and spontaneity of the original drawing'.
'Margery' was named after Margery Fry, the closest of Fry's five sisters. She bought many things at the Omega Workshops and when they closed down, she led the clearing and packing up. This design was available in several colourways, and was illustrated in Art and Understanding (1937) by Margaret Bulley, an collector and writer, as a 'fine and sensitive design'.
In keeping with the painting tradition, Fry believed that designs should not be too mechanical and should show evidence of the artist's hand. The workshops produced six printed linens which were used by the most daring clients as dress fabrics. The printers are said to have used a secret process to 'preserve the freedom and spontaneity of the original drawing'.
'Margery' was named after Margery Fry, the closest of Fry's five sisters. She bought many things at the Omega Workshops and when they closed down, she led the clearing and packing up. This design was available in several colourways, and was illustrated in Art and Understanding (1937) by Margaret Bulley, an collector and writer, as a 'fine and sensitive design'.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Margery (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | block printed linen |
| Brief description | printed linen, 1913, British; Omega Workshops, "Margery" possibly designed by Roger Fry |
| Physical description | Printed linen furnishing fabric with an irregular design of cone shapes filled in with brushstrokes, in a green, light and dark blue, dark brown and yellow colourway. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Roger Fry |
| Object history | One of three colourways of the same design given to the Museum by Roger Fry himself. (MA/1/F1493, 13/5540 M) A.F.Kendrick minute to director on 4 Dec 1913 notes gift of seven pieces of modern printed fabrics to Museum: 'Seven specimens of "post-impressionism" as applied to the printing of linen fabrics were lent by Mr Fry to Mr Lindsay to show at his evening lectures here. I asked if he would give them (as they may become great curiosities in the future) and he consents. If you agree to their acceptance I will put the usual procedure into practice.' Applied to T.386-T.390-1913. |
| Summary | The Omega Workshops were founded in 1913 by the designer and painter Roger Fry (1866-1934). He brought together a group of artists to design furniture, pottery, glass, textiles and entire schemes of interior decoration. Their radically abstract style, typified by this textile, was far ahead of its time and was influenced by developments in contemporary painting. In keeping with the painting tradition, Fry believed that designs should not be too mechanical and should show evidence of the artist's hand. The workshops produced six printed linens which were used by the most daring clients as dress fabrics. The printers are said to have used a secret process to 'preserve the freedom and spontaneity of the original drawing'. 'Margery' was named after Margery Fry, the closest of Fry's five sisters. She bought many things at the Omega Workshops and when they closed down, she led the clearing and packing up. This design was available in several colourways, and was illustrated in Art and Understanding (1937) by Margaret Bulley, an collector and writer, as a 'fine and sensitive design'. |
| Associated objects |
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| Bibliographic reference | Beyond Bloomsbury. Designs of the Omega Workshops 1913-19, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 2009, p. 126, cat. 38A |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.386-1913 |
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| Record created | February 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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