Table Mat
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 matter; the other based on abstract forms and organic shape, the so-called 'Contemporary' style. Prototype table mats and napkins, photographed but never manufactured, are typical of the first group. Samples made by the Old Bleach Linen Company of Randalstown in Northern Ireland were on show in the Festival Pattern Group display in the Regatta Restaurant at the Festival. The design derived from the crystallography model China 8.6, provided by G. W. Brindley.
The Festival Pattern Group was the brainchild of Mark Harland Thomas of the Council of Industrial Design. He built on the idea first put forward in 1946 by crystallographer Dr Helen Megaw that the patterns made available by X-ray crystallography were particularly appropriate for textile design because of their repetitive symmetry and natural beauty. In 1949 he brought together the group of manufacturers who produced textiles, china, carpets, linoleum and wallpaper decorated with these patterns for the Festival. The project combined science and design and was perfect for the theme of the festival, which was to be a platform for British achievement in science, technology and the arts.
The Festival Pattern Group was the brainchild of Mark Harland Thomas of the Council of Industrial Design. He built on the idea first put forward in 1946 by crystallographer Dr Helen Megaw that the patterns made available by X-ray crystallography were particularly appropriate for textile design because of their repetitive symmetry and natural beauty. In 1949 he brought together the group of manufacturers who produced textiles, china, carpets, linoleum and wallpaper decorated with these patterns for the Festival. The project combined science and design and was perfect for the theme of the festival, which was to be a platform for British achievement in science, technology and the arts.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Jacquard-woven linen damask with a rayon weft |
| Brief description | Table mat of unbleached Jacquard-woven linen damask with a rayon weft, manufactured by Old Bleach Linen Company Ltd., Northern Ireland, 1951 |
| Physical description | Table mat of unbleached Jacquard-woven linen damask with a white rayon weft. With a design of a small repeating pattern based on crystal structure for china clay. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Prototype |
| Credit line | Given by the Council of Industrial Design |
| Historical context | Prototype table mats and napkins were photographed but never manufactured, and samples shown in the Festival Pattern Group display in the Regatta Restaurant. The design derived from the crystallographry model provided by G. W. Brindley. (Jackson, p. 76) Illustrated in Festival of Britain Souvenir book, p. 13; British Textiles, p. 50 and the Queen. |
| Production | The Old Bleach Linen Company was established in Randalstown, Northern Ireland in 1864 and closed in 1980. |
| 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 matter; the other based on abstract forms and organic shape, the so-called 'Contemporary' style. Prototype table mats and napkins, photographed but never manufactured, are typical of the first group. Samples made by the Old Bleach Linen Company of Randalstown in Northern Ireland were on show in the Festival Pattern Group display in the Regatta Restaurant at the Festival. The design derived from the crystallography model China 8.6, provided by G. W. Brindley. The Festival Pattern Group was the brainchild of Mark Harland Thomas of the Council of Industrial Design. He built on the idea first put forward in 1946 by crystallographer Dr Helen Megaw that the patterns made available by X-ray crystallography were particularly appropriate for textile design because of their repetitive symmetry and natural beauty. In 1949 he brought together the group of manufacturers who produced textiles, china, carpets, linoleum and wallpaper decorated with these patterns for the Festival. The project combined science and design and was perfect for the theme of the festival, which was to be a platform for British achievement in science, technology and the arts. |
| Bibliographic reference | Jackson, Lesley. From Atoms to Patterns. Crystal structure designs from the 1951 Festival of Britain, London:Richard Dennis with Wellcome Institute, 2008, p. 76. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | CIRC.71-1968 |
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| Record created | June 13, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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