Arts & Crafts Movement
Arts & Crafts were at their height between 1880 and 1910 but started to develop throughout the latter half of the nineteenth century.
The movement stemmed from the mass production of the Industrial Revolution as a rebellion against over elaborate design and in an attempt to reverse the growing dehumanisation of mass produced work in society. Through it, designers attempted to re-establish the links between beautiful design and craftsmanship and the worker and this was not possible through mass production. Compared to the heavily ornamented interiors of high Victorian style with furniture, pictures and nick-nacks crammed into every available space, the Arts & Crafts movement was concerned with simplicity, craftsmanship and design. It was based around natural materials and patterns sourced from nature. Arts & Crafts style proliferated middle class homes in England and America during the second half of the nineteenth century.
In Britain, Arts & Crafts developed around the Gothic style. If you are looking for an Arts & Crafts influence in your dolls house the walls might either be white washed or covered in medieval themed wall paper and Morris prints. Include pottery, textile and paintings in intricate and colourful designs.
In 1884, the Art Workers Guild was formed. It attempted to break down barriers between architects, artists, designers and craftsmen. Work was inspired by the ideas of John Ruskin and William Morris. They believed that art and craft could change lives and their work pursued strong social and moral purpose.
In America, Arts & Crafts developed later than the English movement, between 1910 and 1925. It used materials that were available to the craftsmen. Wallpaper was used on the borders of walls and walls were painted in rich, earthy tones. Furniture would tend to be machine made and finished by hand, thus lowering the cost of production and making pieces available to the middle classes.
Arts & Crafts pieces are sometimes highly decorated and sometimes very plain, characterised by bright colours and vivid patterns. The idea of rural life was romanticised and preserved in the Arts & Crafts movement. The style incorporated calligraphy, furniture, tiling, painting, textiles, pottery, wallpapers, glassware, metalwork architecture and even country gardening.
Principle movers in the Arts & Crafts movement included:-
- John Ruskin
- William Robinson
- Gertrude Jekyll
- William Morris
- Charles Robert Ashbee
- T. J. Cobden Sanderson
- Walter Crane
- Phoebe Anna Traquair
- Charles Rennie Mackintosh
- Christopher Dresser
- Edwin Lutyens
In the United States, it should be noted, the term Arts and Crafts movement is often used to denote the style of interior design that prevailed between the dominant eras of Art Nouveau and Art Deco, or roughly the period from 1910 to 1925. This article does not deal with the American usage of the term.
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