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The British Empire
Crane, Walter - Enlarge image
The British Empire
- Object:
Furnishing fabric
- Place of origin:
England, Great Britain (made)
- Date:
1887 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Crane, Walter (R.W.S.), born 1845 - died 1915 (designer)
Edmund Potter & Co. (manufacturer) - Materials and Techniques:
Roller-printed cotton
- Credit Line:
Given by J. W. F. Morton, Esq.
- Museum number:
CIRC.837-1967
- Gallery location:
In Storage
This roller printed cotton was designed in 1887, the year of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, by Walter Crane for Messrs. Edmund Potter & Co. Female figures in Classical dress represent the different countries of the British Empire at the time, each one carrying an attribute of her nation. A globe with the helmet of Britannia resting on it is shown in the upper section of the fabric. It was described by Walter Crane as 'a kind of apotheosis of the British Empire expressed in a figurative way' (Art Journal, 1898).
Walter Crane was a founder member and first president of the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society. He was one of the best known and most versatile artists and designers of his generation and designed tapestries, carpets and woven and printed fabric amongst many other types of object. He also worked as a painter and book illustrator. The main impetus for using motifs of figures like the ones in this fabric came from the rise in popularity of book illustration, particularly those done for children's books.
