Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Not currently on display at the V&A
On short term loan out for exhibition

Alice in Wonderland

Textile Design
July 1930 (made)
Artist/Maker
C. F. A. Voysey (artist)
Place of origin
London (made)

Design for furnishing fabric with pattern based on Tenniel's illustrations for Lewis Carrol's 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Alice Through the Looking Glass'


Object details

Categories
Textiles
Designs
Drawings
Children & Childhood
Object type
Textile design
TitleAlice in Wonderland (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Hand-coloured process engraving
Watercolour
Printing Ink
Process Engraving
Hand-Colouring
Brief description
C.F.A. Voysey. "Alice in Wonderland". Hand-coloured process engraving, British, July 1930.
Physical description
Design for furnishing fabric with pattern based on Tenniel's illustrations for Lewis Carrol's 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Alice Through the Looking Glass'
Dimensions
  • Sheet height: 545mm
  • Sheet width: 554mm
  • Printed area height: 522mm
  • Printed area width: 535mm
Marks and inscriptions
Signed and dated in pen and ink on reverse 'CFA Voysey / Architect F.R.A. B.A / 73 St James Street SW1 / July 1930
Credit line
Given by Courtaulds Ltd.
Object history
Beginning in the 1880s, a strong interest in children's book illustration developed in England, and this Voysey pattern, typical of his original and witty style, continued to be popular for a very long time after its introduction. The Alice in Wonderland fabric came to the Museum as part of a large group of textiles and original design drawings donated by Jocelyn Morton, a descendant of the founder of Alexander Morton & Co. of Darvel, Scotland, which manufactured some of the best of English Arts and Crafts textiles.
Subjects depicted
Stylized Flowers
Rabbits
Queens
Cat
Lions
Playing Cards
Griffin
Walrus
Hatter
Literary references
  • Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
  • Lewis Carroll, Alice Through the Looking Glass
Bibliographic reference
John Murdoch and Susan Lambert, Summary Catalogue of Textile Designs 1840-1985 in the V. & A. Museum and colour microfiche, Surrey: Emmett Microform, 1986
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.334-1974

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O559604/alice-in-wonderland-textile-design-c-f-a/
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