Coverlet c. 1936

Cornelius Christoffels created this coverlet. He was born in 1879 and died in 1960. This detailed rendering of a textile sample invites us to consider the social history of design. In the absence of a date, we might ask: what kind of design practice is represented here? And what was the relationship between design and manufacturing at the time this was made? We can see how Christoffels meticulously captured the patterns, textures, and colour scheme of the textile. It suggests a system of production in which the designer and the maker are not the same person. Perhaps this artwork offers us insight into the commercial or industrial processes of textile production in the late 19th or early 20th century. Further research into the artist, the techniques of textile design, and the history of manufacturing at the time would help us to understand more about the social and economic conditions in which this image was made.