Christopher Dresser: Design Pioneer (Victoria and Albert Museum)

Hardback

Main Details

Title Christopher Dresser: Design Pioneer (Victoria and Albert Museum)
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Max Donnelly
Physical Properties
Format:Hardback
Pages:144
Dimensions(mm): Height 190,Width 170
Category/GenreIndividual designers
ISBN/Barcode 9780500480700
ClassificationsDewey:745.2092
Audience
General
Illustrations 117 Illustrations, color

Publishing Details

Publisher Thames & Hudson Ltd
Imprint Thames & Hudson Ltd
Publication Date 17 June 2021
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

Christopher Dresser (1834-1904) is one of the most influential British designers of all time and he is widely regarded as Britain's first independent industrial designer. His works still look remarkably modern more than a century later. Like his contemporary William Morris, Dresser advocated for an 'honesty of materials', but unlike Morris he fully embraced industrial techniques, designing for the growing consumer market. Dresser's fascination with the arts of Japan and his advocacy of Owen Jones's principle that ornament should be geometrical in form resulted in a range of designs that look surprisingly minimal for their time. Affordable, well-designed, functional and commercially successful, the objects that Dresser designed - wallpapers, textiles, carpets, ceramics, furniture and, most famously, metalwork - were industrially produced by manufacturers across the UK, the US and continental Europe. This compact, beautifully produced book on the work of Christopher Dresser begins with a brief introduction to his life and work before presenting 75 of his most important pieces, each accompanied by a narrative-style caption. It will appeal to anyone interested in modern design. With 117 illustrations in colour

Author Biography

Max Donnelly is Curator of Nineteenth-Century Furniture in the Department of Furniture, Textiles and Fashion at the V&A. He has contributed to C. F . A. Voysey: Arts and Crafts Designer and The Story of Scottish Design (V&A/T&H).

Reviews

'A wonderfully sleek and elegant introduction to the work of the influential and forward-looking 19th-century designer' - The i Newspaper