The Irish-born artist who created the design for this fabric, Louis le Brocquy, was entirely self-taught. Having studied paintings in various institutions, including the National Gallery in London, le Brocquy went on to produce a challenging body of work with clear sensitivity to the turbulent political climate in Britain after the Second World War. Le Brocquy's textile designs were similarly progressive. The severe forms and stark contrast in colours employed in his designs are visually unsettling and recall his most famous work, a depiction of domestic isolation entitled A Family, painted in 1951, now in the National Gallery of Ireland.

Le Brocquy executed this design for David Whitehead Ltd., a leading manufacturer of furnishing fabrics, based in Lancashire. The company engaged avant-garde designers to produce furnishings with a modern look, throughout the 1950 and 1960s. The design on this fabric was created by mechanised screen-printing, then a comparatively new technology that reduced costs considerably for the manufacturer.