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Early Bird

Wallpaper
1951 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The designer Sylvia Priestley was the daughter of the author J. B. Priestley (1894-1984). She studied in London at the Slade School of Art and at the Central School of Arts and Crafts. Priestley designed textiles and wallpapers and worked for the textile manufacturers Jacqmar Ltd and Warner & Sons. She made this design, entitled ‘Early Bird’, for the wallpaper manufacturers John Line & Sons Ltd, for their series entitled ‘Limited Editions 1951’. ‘Early Bird’ was produced in various colour combinations, known as colourways in the wallpaper industry. It repeats a pattern unit consisting of a bird with a horizontal stance alternating with a second pattern unit of a bird with a vertical stance.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • Early Bird (assigned by artist)
  • Limited Editions 1951 (series title)
Materials and techniques
Colour screenprint, on paper
Brief description
Portion of 'Early Bird' wallpaper, a repeating pattern of a bird in two different stances. The stripes in the background are olive green, grey, white and either white circles with black centres on grey stripes or on olive stripes. The birds are black on chalky white reserves; Colour screen print, on paper; Designed by Sylvia Nancy Priestley; Produced by John Line & Sons Ltd in their series 'Limited Editions 1951'; England; 1951.
Physical description
Portion of 'Early Bird' wallpaper, a repeating pattern of a bird in two different stances. The stripes in the background are olive green, grey, white and either white circles with black centres on grey stripes or on olive stripes. The birds are black on chalky white reserves; Colour screen print, on paper.
Dimensions
  • Height: 75cm
  • Width: 54.5cm
Dimensions from: Oman, Charles C., and Hamilton, Jean. Wallpapers: a history and illustrated catalogue of the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: Sotheby Publications, in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1982.
Marks and inscriptions
'REG/ D / NO HAND PRINTED JOIN HERE' (Textual information; Right edge; Printing; Printing ink)
Credit line
Given by the manufacturer
Production
Produced by John Line & Sons Ltd in their series 'Limited Editions 1951'
Subjects depicted
Summary
The designer Sylvia Priestley was the daughter of the author J. B. Priestley (1894-1984). She studied in London at the Slade School of Art and at the Central School of Arts and Crafts. Priestley designed textiles and wallpapers and worked for the textile manufacturers Jacqmar Ltd and Warner & Sons. She made this design, entitled ‘Early Bird’, for the wallpaper manufacturers John Line & Sons Ltd, for their series entitled ‘Limited Editions 1951’. ‘Early Bird’ was produced in various colour combinations, known as colourways in the wallpaper industry. It repeats a pattern unit consisting of a bird with a horizontal stance alternating with a second pattern unit of a bird with a vertical stance.
Bibliographic references
  • Oman, Charles and Hamilton, Jean. Wallpapers: A History and Illustrated Catalogue of the Collection in the Victroia and Abert Museum. London: Sothebys in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1982. 402 p., ill. ISBN 0856670960.
  • Carrington, Noel. Design and Decoration in the Home. London, B.T. Batsford, 1952. 106p., ill.
Collection
Accession number
E.887-1978

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Record createdOctober 21, 2003
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