Floral Borders. The Victoria and Albert Colour Books

Hardback. The borders reproduced in this book have been selected from three albums, purchased by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1986, which contain nearly 800 patterns and original designs for printed cottons. The contents of these albums range in date from the last quester of the eighteenth century to the middle of the nineteenth century, with the years 1790 to 1810 - often considered a golden age for printed textiles - being particularly well represented. Since Continental material of this date and of such remarkably high quality has not prevously been well represented at the Museum, the albums constitute one of the most important additions to the collection of textile designs made in recent years. Among the designs are many that are inscribed in French with technial notes and instructions to the cutters of the printing blocks. Other designs bear notes in German, and three are inscribed in italian; none, unfortunately, is dated. It has not been possible to attribute the designs to a specific printworks, but it seems likely that they were intended for production either at Mulhouse, a town now in france and situated near the border with Germany, or somewhat further north in the area that is now the French Haut Rhin department of Upper Alsace. Illustrated. (We carry a wide selection of titles in The Arts, Theology, History, Politics, Social and Physical Sciences. academic and scholarly books and Modern First Editions ,and all types of Academic Literature.).…