Hemelbed met draperieën 1895

This print, produced anonymously, shows a design for a canopy bed with draperies. The drawing gives us not just the finished form but the means of production. See on the right side of the image the various templates by which the textiles would be cut, sewn, and fitted to the bed frame. The choice of fabrics, their colors, the way they fall from the canopy, and are gathered at the posts, all signify luxury. A bed like this would have been expensive; an expression of aristocratic sensibility. The anonymous designer would have had to understand how to achieve the desired aesthetic effects, while also being attentive to the realities of production. You can see how much work this would entail – not just the labor of design, but also the work of weavers, dyers, seamstresses, and furniture makers. In this print, we can see the relationship between design, production, and aspiration that was at the heart of early industrial capitalism. It’s a good reminder that even objects of great refinement are the products of labor.