Side chair 1865 - 1875

This is a side chair by Christopher Dresser, though we don’t have the exact date of its making. As a designer, Dresser was at the forefront of the Aesthetic movement in Britain, a movement that was concerned with ideas about ‘good’ design and the public role of art, and this chair reflects the debates of the time. Made out of wood and upholstery, its geometric form and stylized floral motifs depart from the ornate historicism that dominated Victorian taste. You can see the echos of ancient Egypt in the motifs, an interest that reflected the Victorian obsession with archaeological discoveries. Dresser was involved in the South Kensington Museum – now the V&A – which was founded to promote art education and improve design standards in manufacturing. His chair embodies this impulse, as well as the contemporary desire to create beauty in everyday objects. To understand Dresser’s designs better, look into the history of design reform movements and the influence of non-Western art on British design in the 19th century.