Album of photographs showing interiors at 1 Holland Park
Photograph Album
ca. 1898 (made)
ca. 1898 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This album contains a series of photographs of the interiors of 1 Holland Park in west London, the home of the wealthy Greek merchant A. A. Ionides. The decoration of the house, completed in 1888, was the work of Morris & Co., the decorative arts company set up in 1861 by a group of artists that included the socialist painter, designer and poet William Morris (1834-1896). Ionides’s home was described by Gleeson White in an article in The Studio in 1889 as ‘an epoch-making house’ and ‘a consistent example of the use of fabrics and patterns designed chiefly by Mr Morris’. However, by this date the original effect of the Morris & Co. scheme had been subverted by the subsequent accumulation of objets d'art and domestic clutter. Morris & Co. wallpapers are prominent in many of the views. The design 'Chrysanthemum' (issued 1877) was hung in the Antiquities Room. In the less public rooms - for example, the morning room or family sitting room - a lighter pattern such as 'Garden Tulip' (1885) was used. By the aesthetic standards of the time this light and relatively simple pattern was suited to this more informal setting, whereas heavier, richer designs were preferred in those rooms used for entertaining or for study.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Album of photographs showing interiors at 1 Holland Park (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Albumen prints |
Brief description | Exterior of 1 Holland Park, 1 Holland Park Album by Bedford Lemere & Co., ca. 1898 |
Subjects depicted | |
Place depicted | |
Summary | This album contains a series of photographs of the interiors of 1 Holland Park in west London, the home of the wealthy Greek merchant A. A. Ionides. The decoration of the house, completed in 1888, was the work of Morris & Co., the decorative arts company set up in 1861 by a group of artists that included the socialist painter, designer and poet William Morris (1834-1896). Ionides’s home was described by Gleeson White in an article in The Studio in 1889 as ‘an epoch-making house’ and ‘a consistent example of the use of fabrics and patterns designed chiefly by Mr Morris’. However, by this date the original effect of the Morris & Co. scheme had been subverted by the subsequent accumulation of objets d'art and domestic clutter. Morris & Co. wallpapers are prominent in many of the views. The design 'Chrysanthemum' (issued 1877) was hung in the Antiquities Room. In the less public rooms - for example, the morning room or family sitting room - a lighter pattern such as 'Garden Tulip' (1885) was used. By the aesthetic standards of the time this light and relatively simple pattern was suited to this more informal setting, whereas heavier, richer designs were preferred in those rooms used for entertaining or for study. |
Collection | |
Accession number | E.1-1995 |
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Record created | March 18, 2003 |
Record URL |
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