Printed Patterns
This display examines how 19th-century designers sought to categorise the decorative arts through elaborate, meticulously illustrated pattern books.
When:
February - October 2027
Where:
Level 3 Main Library
Printed Patterns examines how 19th-century designers sought to categorise the decorative arts through elaborate, meticulously illustrated pattern books. By gathering motifs from diverse cultures, historical eras, and the natural world, these volumes served as encyclopedias for architects and artisans. By distilling the complexity of historical ornamentation into a practical, usable visual language for the modern age, the books in this display reveal a unique intersection of scientific observation and cross-cultural study.
Top image: Details of lithograph illustrations in Owen Jones, The grammar of ornament (1910). Published in London by Quaritch.
VQ 729.4/2.
Accessibility: UNSW Main Library is wheelchair accessible and the display includes large-text labels and exhibition guides. Displays and explanatory texts can be seen and read from a seated position.