Haemoglobin
Sample
1951 (made)
1951 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The Festival of Britain held in 1951 provided new opportunities for textile design and manufacture. Two very distinct types of pattern emerged at this event: one was inspired by scientific,crystal-structure diagrams drawn to record arrangements of atoms in such substances as haemoglobin, insulin and chalk; the other based on abstract forms and organic shape, the so-called 'Contemporary' style. Mark Hartland Thomas is credited with the development of the textile designs derived from crystal-structure diagrams. When setting up the Festival Pattern Group in 1949, he stated that 'we are at a stage in the history of industrial design when both public and leading designers have a feeling for richness in style and decoration, but are somewhat at a loss for inspiration'. The idea for this project was perfect for the scientific theme of the Festival, which had been planned as a 'combined exhibition of science, technology and industrial design'. The crystal patterns were deemed particularly appropriate for use in textile design because of their repetitive symmetry and natural beauty.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Haemoglobin (manufacturer's title) |
| Materials and techniques | Woven silk |
| Brief description | Sample of woven tie silk 'Haemoglobin', designed by Bernard Rowland for Vanners & Fennell Ltd., Suffolk, 1951 |
| Physical description | Sample of woven tie silk. The design is based on the crystal-structure diagram for haemoglobin. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Mass produced |
| Credit line | Given by the Council of Industrial Design |
| Object history | X-ray crystallography involved projecting a narrow beam of X-rays on to crystalline material. Photographs were then taken of the diffracted X-rays, and the resulting lines or spots were used to plot 'maps' indicating the relationships between atoms. For the first time ever it enabled scientist to work out the structure of atoms within molecules. Britain was a world leader in the field of crystallography and during the post war period this was one of the most significant and stimulating branches of science. |
| Association | |
| Summary | The Festival of Britain held in 1951 provided new opportunities for textile design and manufacture. Two very distinct types of pattern emerged at this event: one was inspired by scientific,crystal-structure diagrams drawn to record arrangements of atoms in such substances as haemoglobin, insulin and chalk; the other based on abstract forms and organic shape, the so-called 'Contemporary' style. Mark Hartland Thomas is credited with the development of the textile designs derived from crystal-structure diagrams. When setting up the Festival Pattern Group in 1949, he stated that 'we are at a stage in the history of industrial design when both public and leading designers have a feeling for richness in style and decoration, but are somewhat at a loss for inspiration'. The idea for this project was perfect for the scientific theme of the Festival, which had been planned as a 'combined exhibition of science, technology and industrial design'. The crystal patterns were deemed particularly appropriate for use in textile design because of their repetitive symmetry and natural beauty. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | CIRC.72-1968 |
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| Record created | January 13, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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