Printed Linen c. 1937

Florence Earl created this printed linen with floral motifs in the late 19th or early 20th century. Designs like these were part of a larger movement in Western visual culture in which women found professional opportunities as textile designers. Floral patterns have long been associated with femininity and domesticity. With the industrial revolution and the rise of a consumer culture, printed textiles allowed middle-class women to participate in decorative arts, to express their creativity and taste, but within very strict gendered confines. Earl and her contemporaries often attended design schools, where they learned the technical skills and historical styles necessary to cater to a changing marketplace. Looking at this printed linen, it's important to ask how women negotiated their roles as both consumers and producers of art. This is a question that requires us to look at the social and economic conditions that shaped the art world in the late 19th century.