Italian No.3 1856

Editor: So, this is "Italian No. 3," a print made in 1856 by Owen Jones. The different sections remind me of friezes and wall decorations. It's very symmetrical and colorful, but I am wondering what context drove Jones to produce this sort of drawing? Curator: It's a fascinating document of 19th-century design reform. Jones was a key figure advocating for the application of historical styles, particularly from non-Western cultures, to contemporary design. The South Kensington Museum, later the V&A, where Jones was actively involved, similarly served as a place where artisans and the public were educated about ornament. Think about it as a visual encyclopedia designed to democratize access to design principles. Does knowing that shift your understanding of the piece at all? Editor: That's helpful, it helps put Jones in context and the function this image had beyond just being aesthetic. Did he just pick and choose these motifs, or was he trying to make a broader historical claim? Curator: Well, his work was situated within a broader Victorian fascination with categorizing and understanding different cultures through their visual styles. This ambition was definitely not free of issues, given how it reduced cultures into purely visual patterns! In any case, what do you see as the implications of taking historical and geographical material like this? Editor: On one hand, the dissemination of information is important and should be encouraged; however, such selection of ornamental patterns does risk commodifying other cultures into bite-sized digestible imagery for an external viewer. Curator: Precisely. What this piece reminds us, ultimately, is how art museums played a pivotal role in shaping design tastes, and how those tastes were embedded in the complex power dynamics of the 19th century. Editor: It’s interesting how a seemingly decorative print opens up a conversation about cultural exchange and power. I'll definitely look at Victorian design books differently now!