Design drawing 1878 - 1888

This is a design drawing by Christopher Dresser, made with watercolor and graphite on paper. Dresser was a leading figure in the 19th-century design reform movement, and he created designs for a wide variety of domestic products. Here, we see three samples of patterns, likely intended for wallpaper or textiles. The repeating motifs, full of botanical forms, would have been suited to mechanized production. Look closely and you’ll notice the hand of the artist, particularly in the subtle variations of color and line weight. But these have been created as prototypes for industrial manufacturing, part of the larger project of bringing art into everyday life. The use of standardized patterns and colors reflects the growing consumer culture of the time, as well as the availability of new, affordable materials. By understanding the materials and methods employed in its creation, we can appreciate its intended purpose. It invites us to reconsider the traditional hierarchy between fine art and design.