Sheet with overall floral pattern with striped background 1800 - 1900

This small patterned sheet, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was created by an anonymous artist. We don't know much about them. The print features an overall floral design set against a striped background, motifs common in textiles and decorative arts. Yet, the anonymity of its creator invites us to consider broader historical contexts. Who was making these designs, and under what conditions? Was this artist excluded from recognition due to their gender, race, or class? The regularity of the floral pattern may speak to the industrialization of design, and the repetitive labor involved. This little sheet encourages a consideration of the hands that were so often behind these creations, whose stories remain largely untold. It is a reminder of the complexities and erasures within the history of art and design.