Victorian ornamental design

Cotton dress fabrics, like these printed calicoes produced by the eminent Lancashire firm Thomson Brothers, were registered in a wide array of designs.

James Thomson (1779–1850), an industrial chemist who bought the Primrose Printworks in Clitheroe in 1811, was a high-profile campaigner for stronger copyright for printed textiles. His firm, who employed skilled artisanal engravers and worked with block printing methods, placed emphasis on the value of original design.

The cotton printing industry in Britain provided the catalyst for the debates around piracy and copyright in the wider manufacturing industries. Early copyright protection for printed cottons was introduced in 1787 with the first Calico Printing Act, but copyright was only extended to incorporate all manufactured goods in 1839 with the establishment of the Designs Registry, under the Board of Trade.

This design is for a stoneware jug moulded with the image of Madonna and Child with the infant St John the Baptist on both sides. It was registered by Charles Meigh, an earthenware manufacturer based in Stoke-on-Trent. The detailed relief, along with the gothic ornamentation, shows off the technical skill of the potter.

From 1839, designs could be registered for copyright protection by submitting a representation to the Designs Office, part of the Board of Trade. Representations were submitted in the form of drawings, photographs and samples.

This representation was sent in the form of an illustration coloured with watercolours. Representations give us an important insight into the design and manufacturing processes for a range of goods.

Victorian innovations in ironwork production allowed for more detailed ornamentation to be applied to all sorts of goods.

The fireplace, a central feature of the 19th-century home, was created in an extensive variety of designs. Cast iron was made by re-casting iron ‘pigs’ with other elements in moulds, which allowed for different shapes and ornamental details to be reproduced affordably at scale.

Coalbrookdale was one of the leading companies creating cast iron wares in the 19th century and they registered large numbers of designs for fireplaces, along with many other objects for the home and garden.

William Morris was one of the best-known designers of the 19th century, whose work responded to the rapid mechanisation of Britain’s industries.

Morris was a leading figure of the Arts and Crafts movement, which sought to elevate the status of decorative arts in Britain through a return to hand production and aesthetic principles from the pre-industrial era.

Machine-printed wallpapers were first sold in Britain in 1841. This development in manufacturing meant that designs could be reproduced quickly and cheaply, making them affordable to more of the population.

While Morris’s aims were to make good quality design more accessible, ultimately only the wealthy could afford to decorate their homes with his patterns due to the slower, block-printing methods used to make them.