Polythene 8.59c
Dress Fabric
1951 (manufactured)
1951 (manufactured)
| 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. This design derived from the crystallography model Polythene 8.59c, provided by the crystallographer Charles William Bunn.
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 | |
| Title | Polythene 8.59c (popular title) |
| Materials and techniques | Woven merino wool with a raised weave |
| Brief description | Dress fabric 'Polythene 8.59c' of woven merino wool, designed by Mildred Taylor for Dobroyd Ltd., Great Britain, 1951 |
| Physical description | Dress fabric of woven merino wool with a novelty weave. In a solid colour with a raised weave. The design is based on a crystal structure diagram of polythene. |
| Dimensions |
|
| 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. |
| Production | See Jackson, p. 59. Attribution note: 1 colour. |
| 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. This design derived from the crystallography model Polythene 8.59c, provided by the crystallographer Charles William Bunn. 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. 59. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | CIRC.74-1968 |
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| Record created | April 2, 2009 |
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