Turkish No.3 1856

Owen Jones created Turkish No. 3 as a chromolithograph, a type of color print, sometime before his death in 1874. This artwork demonstrates the late 19th-century fascination with non-Western design, especially the aesthetics of the Islamic world. Jones was particularly intrigued by the intricate patterns and vibrant colors of Turkish art. The process of chromolithography allowed for the detailed reproduction of these complex designs, using multiple limestone blocks, one for each color. Each color was applied in careful registration to build up the final image. This required a skilled workforce and a high degree of technical expertise. Chromolithography made such imagery more widely available, influencing design across many classes of society. By studying works like Turkish No. 3, we see how technologies of reproduction democratized access to design, although the labor involved often remains invisible. It prompts us to reflect on the connection between artistic inspiration, the means of production, and the broadening consumption of design in the Industrial Age.