Furnishing Fabric
1802 (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
For the first 20 years of the 19th century, the finest and most expensive printed furnishings were polychrome woodblock-printed cottons, the technique used here (with the addition of pencilled blue). This fabric could have been used for curtains or upholstery. In this period it was particularly fashionable for the different furnishings used in a room, including window curtains and upholstery fabric, to match or complement each other. Bannister Hall, near Preston, Lancashire, where this fabric was printed, was the leading works for woodblock furniture chintzes and set the fashion for other factories. Printing was carried out for London linen-drapers, such as Richard Ovey of Covent Garden, who from 1790 to 1831 was the leading London merchant for 'furniture prints'. He commissioned designs from skilled artists and sent them to Lancashire or to Carlisle in Cumbria to be printed.
The original design for this cotton is inscribed with the title "The Scarlet Ground White Passion Flower Chintz" and "R.Ovey 10th December 1802".
The original design for this cotton is inscribed with the title "The Scarlet Ground White Passion Flower Chintz" and "R.Ovey 10th December 1802".
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Block printed cotton with pencilled blue |
| Brief description | block printed cotton with design of passion flowers, English, Bannister Hall, 1802 |
| Physical description | Length of block-printed cotton furnishing fabric. Selvedge at left edge, other edges cut. 1 blue thread in selvedge. Reinforced along central vertical line where it had become worn, or possibly cut. Design of a passion flower printed in madder colours with pencilled blue. Red ground. Green leaves made by pencilling blue onto yellow. Red, yellow, green and blue centres to flowers. Other details in very light brown, parts reserved in white. Blocking stops between 1.5 and 3 cm in from left selvedge, leaving some partially printed motifs, and an unprinted edge. The object includes just over one pattern repeat in width, two in height. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Given by G. P. & J. Baker |
| Object history | Original design (belonging to Stead McAlpin Ltd) is inscribed on back : "N.105. The Scarlet Ground White Passion Flower Chintz. R.Ovey, 10th December 1802." |
| Summary | For the first 20 years of the 19th century, the finest and most expensive printed furnishings were polychrome woodblock-printed cottons, the technique used here (with the addition of pencilled blue). This fabric could have been used for curtains or upholstery. In this period it was particularly fashionable for the different furnishings used in a room, including window curtains and upholstery fabric, to match or complement each other. Bannister Hall, near Preston, Lancashire, where this fabric was printed, was the leading works for woodblock furniture chintzes and set the fashion for other factories. Printing was carried out for London linen-drapers, such as Richard Ovey of Covent Garden, who from 1790 to 1831 was the leading London merchant for 'furniture prints'. He commissioned designs from skilled artists and sent them to Lancashire or to Carlisle in Cumbria to be printed. The original design for this cotton is inscribed with the title "The Scarlet Ground White Passion Flower Chintz" and "R.Ovey 10th December 1802". |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | CIRC.334-1955 |
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| Record created | July 8, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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