Cover 

This is the cover of Owen Jones's "The Grammar of Ornament" published in 1856, amidst the burgeoning British Empire. Jones sought to codify decorative arts into a visual resource during a time when design was viewed as a marker of national identity. The book synthesizes ornaments from across the globe: Egyptian lotuses, Greek frets, Islamic arabesques. Jones's goal was to locate universal principles, but we must ask, who gets to decide what these principles are? His choices reflect the colonial gaze of 19th-century England. Jones's approach romanticized and essentialized diverse cultural traditions, often stripping them of their original contexts. "The Grammar of Ornament" became a bible for designers. Yet, in its ambition to classify and categorize, it also reveals a desire to control and dominate the visual landscape of the era. As you consider this cover, think about whose stories are centered and whose are left out.