Design for Curtains 1841 - 1884

This drawing of a curtain design was made by Charles Hindley and Sons, a London-based decorating firm. It’s rendered in pencil on paper, with a sensitivity to the fall of fabric and a real feeling for the kind of plush interior it would adorn. The Hindley firm was more than just designers – they were manufacturers. They had to be, to keep up with the voracious appetite of Victorian England for domestic display. As the Industrial Revolution deepened, a whole new middle class wanted their homes to look like those of the aristocracy. Firms like Hindley were crucial to making that happen, employing armies of craftspeople. Consider all that goes into just one curtain: the weaving of textiles, the dyeing, the cutting and sewing, the making of decorative trim. Each of these processes involves labor, and each contributes to the overall effect of luxury. This drawing represents a whole world of production, cleverly concealed behind a veneer of elegance. It reminds us that design is never just about aesthetics; it’s about the lives and livelihoods of those who make it possible.