Not on display

Festival of Britain

Furnishing Fabric
1951 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Produced to commemorate the Festival of Britain in 1951, this print was designed by John Barker for David Whitehead Limited. At that time, David Whitehead Limited, based in Lancashire, was noted for its progressive design policy, which had been led by their director of furnishing fabrics, John Murray. The print shows an image of the exhibition on the South Bank in London, but the Festival was spread across many other venues through the city, and it was celebrated all round Britain. The design also refers to the Great Exhibition of 1851 by incorporating silhouettes of the Crystal Palace, which was constructed to hold the exhibition in Hyde Park in London.

Object details

Category
Object type
TitleFestival of Britain (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Screen-printed rayon satin
Brief description
Furnishing fabric 'Festival of Britain' of screen-printed rayon satin, designed by John Barker, made by David Whitehead & Sons Ltd., Lancashire, 1951
Physical description
Furnishing fabric of screen-printed rayon satin, featuring bird's eye view of the South Bank buildings for the Festival of Britain, 1951, and silhouettes of the Crystal Palace (1851) in a linear stylised elevation, surrounded by oak leaves. The pattern consists of a trellis formed by leafy oak branches framing alternate views of the buildings. In acid yellow, green, mauve, red, blue and black.
Dimensions
  • Length: 124in
  • Width: 50in
Production typeMass produced
Marks and inscriptions
'1851-1951' (In a cartouche below the Crystal Palace building.)
Credit line
Given by Mrs Edna French
Production
Reason For Production: Commemorative
Summary
Produced to commemorate the Festival of Britain in 1951, this print was designed by John Barker for David Whitehead Limited. At that time, David Whitehead Limited, based in Lancashire, was noted for its progressive design policy, which had been led by their director of furnishing fabrics, John Murray. The print shows an image of the exhibition on the South Bank in London, but the Festival was spread across many other venues through the city, and it was celebrated all round Britain. The design also refers to the Great Exhibition of 1851 by incorporating silhouettes of the Crystal Palace, which was constructed to hold the exhibition in Hyde Park in London.
Collection
Accession number
T.288-1982

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Record createdApril 4, 2005
Record URL
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