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Drawing

ca. 1855 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Object Type
Christopher Dresser (1834-1904) produced this diagram to illustrate the lectures on botany that he gave at the Government School of Design in London in the mid-1850s. It is one of several surviving examples that show how he taught botanical drawing. In this clear drawing the elements of the flowers are shown in a diagrammatic form, which helped Dresser to explain principles of biology.

People
Dresser began his career in botany and teaching. He was appointed as a lecturer in botany at the Government School of Design in 1854. In 1856 the designer and architect Owen Jones (1809-1874) invited Dresser to illustrate a plate on plants and flowers for his book, Grammar of Ornament, which looked at different styles of decoration.

Design & Designing
Dresser believed that everyone can appreciate of the underlying geometry of living things and the patterns that derive from them. Dresser's interest in plants was mainly in the forms and designs they displayed during growth. He felt that by understanding the basic patterns upon which all things were constructed, the designer would know how to bring together seemingly very different and exotic forms into a new style.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Water- and body-colour on paper, laid on canvas
Brief description
Drawing to illustrate lectures on Botany, given at Marlborough House, drawn in London by Christopher Dresser, ca. 1855
Physical description
Water- and body-colour on paper drawing, laid on canvas
Dimensions
  • Height: 55cm
  • Width: 75.5cm
Dimensions checked: Measured; 15/08/2000 by PaperCons estimated sizes previously given: 70x100 in perspex box frame: 582 x 786 x 32 mm
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'The Calyx & Perianth' (Textual information; Inscribed; pencil)
  • '45' (Textual information; inscribed; ink)
Gallery label
(27/03/2003)
British Galleries:
Dresser complained that he was not able to make a career as a designer until five years after he had finished his studies. His started his career as a botanist and as a teacher of botany at the Government School of Design in London. He drew this diagram to illustrate his lectures on botany as applied to ornament.
Object history
One of 72 (museum numbers 3925 to 3996) diagrams to illustrate Dresser's lectures on botany at Marlborough House, 1854-1856.
Subjects depicted
Summary
Object Type
Christopher Dresser (1834-1904) produced this diagram to illustrate the lectures on botany that he gave at the Government School of Design in London in the mid-1850s. It is one of several surviving examples that show how he taught botanical drawing. In this clear drawing the elements of the flowers are shown in a diagrammatic form, which helped Dresser to explain principles of biology.

People
Dresser began his career in botany and teaching. He was appointed as a lecturer in botany at the Government School of Design in 1854. In 1856 the designer and architect Owen Jones (1809-1874) invited Dresser to illustrate a plate on plants and flowers for his book, Grammar of Ornament, which looked at different styles of decoration.

Design & Designing
Dresser believed that everyone can appreciate of the underlying geometry of living things and the patterns that derive from them. Dresser's interest in plants was mainly in the forms and designs they displayed during growth. He felt that by understanding the basic patterns upon which all things were constructed, the designer would know how to bring together seemingly very different and exotic forms into a new style.
Bibliographic reference
Julius Bryant, ed. Art and Design for All. The Victoria and Albert Museum London: V&A Publishing, 2011. ISBN: 9781851776665.
Collection
Accession number
3968

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Record createdMarch 27, 2003
Record URL
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