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Avis

Furnishing Fabric
ca. 1939 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This cotton and rayon furnishing fabric called 'Avis' was designed by Marion Dorn (1896-1964) for Edinburgh Weavers about 1939. The pattern is made up of tesselating birds in flight.

Marion Dorn came to England from San Francisco in the early 1920s. By the mid 1930s she was acclaimed as a leading freelance textile designer. She carried out commissions for the London hotels Claridge's and the Savoy, and for the ships Orion and the Queen Mary. In 1934 Dorn established her own firm in Bond Street. Her career was less successful after she returned to America in 1940.

Edinburgh Weavers was set up in 1929 as the experimental design and marketing unit of the firm Morton Sundour Fabrics. It merged with the main weaving factory in 1930. Successfully directed by Alastair Morton, who had trained as an architect, painter and weaver, the firm was known for its avant-garde artist-designed woven textiles.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleAvis (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Machine-woven cotton, rayon and spun rayon
Brief description
Furnishing fabric 'Avis' of machine-woven cotton, rayon and spun rayon, designed by Marion Dorn for Edinburgh Weavers, Carlisle, ca. 1939
Physical description
Furnishing fabric of machine-woven cotton, rayon and spun rayon. With a repeat of schematic birds in flight in blue and white on a green ground.
Dimensions
  • Length: 45.5cm
  • Width: 43cm
Style
Summary
This cotton and rayon furnishing fabric called 'Avis' was designed by Marion Dorn (1896-1964) for Edinburgh Weavers about 1939. The pattern is made up of tesselating birds in flight.

Marion Dorn came to England from San Francisco in the early 1920s. By the mid 1930s she was acclaimed as a leading freelance textile designer. She carried out commissions for the London hotels Claridge's and the Savoy, and for the ships Orion and the Queen Mary. In 1934 Dorn established her own firm in Bond Street. Her career was less successful after she returned to America in 1940.

Edinburgh Weavers was set up in 1929 as the experimental design and marketing unit of the firm Morton Sundour Fabrics. It merged with the main weaving factory in 1930. Successfully directed by Alastair Morton, who had trained as an architect, painter and weaver, the firm was known for its avant-garde artist-designed woven textiles.
Bibliographic reference
Samuels, Charlotte. Art Deco Textiles. London : V&A Publications, 2003. Plate 108.
Collection
Accession number
CIRC.319C-1939

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Record createdOctober 1, 2002
Record URL
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