Silk sample designed by Christopher Dresser and made by Norris & Co.

Christopher Dresser (1834 – 1904) became known as the first ‘industrial designer’. He designed objects for the home that were functional yet beautiful, that could be mass-produced making them more affordable. Dresser started his professional career as a botanist He developed a speciality in drawing plants in an ‘orderly geometrical form’. This became a consistent feature of his distinctive designs with stylised plant structures being transformed into pottery, glass, metal, wallpaper and textiles – like this silk example.

Silk sample designed by Christopher Dresser and made by Norris & Co., 1870

This silk sample was designed by Christopher Dresser and made by Norris & Co in Spitalfields, London. Among Norris & Co’s most distinguished clients was Queen Victoria, who included their textiles in furnishings at Windsor Castle. This silk would probably have been used to make curtain borders.

Christopher Dresser put Middlesbrough on the map not only as a centre for industry but for exceptional design and craftsmanship when he co-founded the Linthorpe Art Pottery. See more Christopher Dresser designs inspired by the natural world, including ‘fish’, ‘onion’ and ‘dragon’ vases, in the Made in the Tees Valley theme.

Image courtesy of Middlesbrough Museum Service