Ontwerp voor een tapijt c. 1854 - 1864

This carpet design, made on paper by an anonymous artist, presents us with a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is that without knowing the specific time or place of its making, or the social position of the artist, we must tread carefully. However, such designs were crucial to the industrial production of carpets in Europe and the United States, especially during the nineteenth century. These designs reveal much about the cultural values attached to home decor and taste, but also, importantly, about the institutional structures in which design and manufacturing converged. Museums often collected such designs as models for artisans and manufacturers. To understand this design fully, we would want to know the period in which the design was made, as well as the country, and the specific industry for which the design was intended. We might also consider the sources for the designs, whether from older carpets, or perhaps from textiles or architectural designs.