CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE. 



DECORATIVE DESIGN AS APPLIED TO 

 TEXTILE MANUFACTURES. 



Linen damask, as used for table-cloths and 

 napkins, receives its ornament from a pecu- 

 liar distribution of the threads in the weaving, 

 surface-printing being rarely if ever applied to 

 linen. I n the application of ornament to this fabric, 

 the designer should aim at flatness of treatment, 

 avoiding all subjects in which relief is required. 

 This excludes representations of architectural 

 relieved ornaments, fruit, and indeed all subjects 

 perspectively treated. The design for a table- 

 cloth naturally divides itself into two parts the 

 centre space, and the border. In the border, 

 or that portion which falls over the edge of the 

 table, the lines should be flowing, while the centre 

 space may be filled up with a diaper arrangement 

 of geometrical figures, or conventionalised floral or 

 natural forms well distributed. 



Cotton. The ornamentation of cotton fabrics is 

 almost exclusively effected by surface -printing. 

 The two great classes of ornamented cottons are 

 garment and furniture fabrics. As colour is used 

 very much in these fabrics, the designer must 

 view the ornamentation he is desirous to carry out 

 in a twofold aspect form and colour. 



True symmetry of form can only be obtained 

 by a geometrical distribution. That ' ornament 

 has a geometrical distribution, and is subject to 

 symmetry and a correspondence of parts,' will be 

 easily seen on considering that, in the words of 

 Mr Redgrave, ' it is not possible to cover a large 

 space with a repetition of small ornaments without 

 some symmetrical arrangement developing itself.' 

 And wherever the eye has a difficulty in tracing 

 this symmetrical arrangement, it may be at once 

 concluded that the treatment is unsatisfactory ; it 

 will, in fact, be wanting in the essential character 

 of 'repose.' The character of the ornamentation 

 should also be attended to leaves, sprigs, flowers, 

 and simple scrolls being most suitable, and these, 

 of course, treated flatly, avoiding all relief and 

 perspective. Small forms will also be in better 

 taste than large. The ' making up' and the 

 ' nature ' of the material have also to be observed. 

 With reference to the nature of the material, the 

 designer should remember that it has certain 

 peculiarities which should not be lost sight of; 

 that cotton, for instance, has not the surface lustre 

 of silk, and that patterns applicable to the latter 

 will, if applied to the former, display a want of 

 truth. Again, cotton is a material easily cleaned ; 

 in fact, its most pleasing peculiarity is this idea 

 of purity it conveys. Unlike wool, therefore, 

 which partakes of opposite qualities, the pattern 

 should be so arranged that a large portion of the 

 surface be left in its natural condition. 



The following is given by Mr Redgrave as an 

 enumeration of the principles which should regu- 

 late the application of design to garment fabrics. 

 ' The ornament is always flat and without shadow ; 

 natural flowers are never used imitatively or 

 perspectively, but are conventionalised by being 

 displayed flat, and according to a symmetrical 

 arrangement ; and all other objects, even animals 

 and birds, when used as ornament, are reduced 

 to their simplest flat form. When colour is added, 

 it is usually rendered by the simple local hue, 

 often bordered with a darker shade of the colour, 

 to give it a clearer expression ; but the shades of 



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the flower are rarely introduced.' It is worthy of 

 note, that the fabrics in which those principles 

 were applied in the Great Exhibition of 1851, 

 were those exhibited by the East India Company. 

 They shewed ' how much beauty may be obtained 

 by simple means when regulated by just prin- 

 ciples ; and how perfectly unnecessary are the 

 multiplied tints by which modern designers think 

 to give value to their works, but which increase 

 the difficulties of production out of all proportion 

 to any effect resulting from them ; nay, even to 

 the absolute disadvantage of the fabric." 



In the treatment of furniture fabrics, many of 

 the suggestions we have already given will be 

 applicable. The prevailing aim has hitherto been 

 to have large decided figures, giving ample scope 

 for the display of gay and striking colours. Hence 

 have originated vulgar gaudy patterns, in which 

 obtrusiveness and want of design using the term 

 in its most significant sense have been the chief 

 characteristics. The symmetrical arrangement of 

 a simple ornament with flat treatment, as already 

 described, will be found much more pleasing than 

 the absurd patterns too frequently used. 



Silk and Woollen Fabrics. The principles we 

 have already indicated for the decoration of cotton, 

 will be applicable in great measure to these ; 

 attention, however, must be paid to the nature of 

 the material. Thus the beautiful peculiarity of 

 silk, its brilliant lustre, must not be hid by any 

 over-colouring or a redundancy of ornament ; this, 

 of course, does not refer to self-coloured silk, or to 

 brocades where the ornament is of the same lustre 

 as the body of the material. Again, the nature of 

 wool admits of a greater redundancy of ornament, 

 and a larger amount of colour. 



The following we give, in conclusion, as the 

 principles applicable to printed garments. ' The 

 ornament should cover the surface, either by a 

 diaper based on some regular geometrical figure, 

 or growing out of itself by graceful flowing 

 curves. 



' The size of the pattern should be regulated by 

 the material for which the design is intended 

 small for close thick fabrics, such as ginghams, 

 &c. ; larger for fabrics of more open texture, such 

 as muslins, Bareges, &c. ; largely covering the 

 ground on de laines, and more dispersed on cotton 

 or linen goods.' 



Carpet Decoration. The main idea which a 

 carpet should convey is an easy natural surface to 

 walk upon, and not obtrusive that is, it should 

 look flat, and its colours should be ' subordinate 

 to the more prominent pieces of furniture.' Hence 

 all carpets in which huge flowers or floral subjects, 

 architectural ornaments, and the forms of living 

 objects, are portrayed in high relief and with per- 

 spective effect, and which ' challenge attention by 

 the brilliancy of their hues in masses, or the tortu- 

 osity of the lines in the boundaries of their forms,' 

 are considered to be in bad taste ; and hence, 

 also, the principles which dictate flat forms, with- 

 out shadow or relief, and well distributed over the 

 whole surface. As regards colour, all violent con- 

 trasts should be avoided, and ' graduated shades 

 of the same colour, or a distribution of colours 

 nearly equal in scale of light and dark, should be 

 adopted ; secondaries and tertiaries, or neutralised 

 primaries, being used rather than pure tints, and 

 lights introduced merely to give expression to the 

 form.' 



