Design

Object Type
This design is one of a group of six similar designs for tiles in different colours. Each design has a tiny printed monogram depicting an arrangement of the letters 'NAL' within a circle. The monogram is in the bottom right corner. It is a collection mark for the National Art Library, to which this design belonged before transfer to what is now the V&A's Department of Prints, Drawings and Paintings. The National Art Library collected drawings for the applied arts from 1852. This example was bought to be used as a teaching aid by the School of Design (now the Royal College of Art).

Design & Designing
This design is in an opaque water-soluble pigment known as bodycolour, which is similar to the strong, colourful glazes on 19th-century tiles. This design is painted on a hexagon so that the tile, for which it is intended, could form part of an interlocking pattern on a floor or wall.

Time
In the 19th century new technology made possible the mass production of tiles. In the latter part of the century this productive capacity was matched by high demand, caused by a building boom.