Not on display

Dress Fabric

1937 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This silk crepe dress fabric is printed with a repeat of flowers and stems, in white and yellow on a black background. Floral printed fabrics held a prominent place in every smart woman's wardrobe in the 1930s. Motifs floating on a plain ground worked admirably; navy, black and brown background colours were perennially in vogue. The use of floral decoration on cloth was hardly new but the flowers of the 1930s blossomed with fresh life and vigour. Detailed, naturalistic representations in the traditional manner were replaced with a freedom of line and form closely allied to contemporary movements in the fine and graphic arts.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Screen-printed silk crêpe
Brief description
Dress fabric of printed silk crêpe, designed and made by François Ducharne, Lyon, 1937
Physical description
Dress fabric of silk crêpe printed with a repeat of lilies or iris and stems, in white and yellow on a black background.
Dimensions
  • Length: 38in
  • Width: 24in
Production typeMass produced
Marks and inscriptions
Transliteration
.
Credit line
Given by Manchester Design Registry
Summary
This silk crepe dress fabric is printed with a repeat of flowers and stems, in white and yellow on a black background. Floral printed fabrics held a prominent place in every smart woman's wardrobe in the 1930s. Motifs floating on a plain ground worked admirably; navy, black and brown background colours were perennially in vogue. The use of floral decoration on cloth was hardly new but the flowers of the 1930s blossomed with fresh life and vigour. Detailed, naturalistic representations in the traditional manner were replaced with a freedom of line and form closely allied to contemporary movements in the fine and graphic arts.
Bibliographic reference
Webb & Bower / Michael Joseph, Thirties Floral Fabrics, V&A Colour Books
Collection
Accession number
T.424-1980

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Record createdJanuary 14, 2004
Record URL
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