Art Deco Textiles

Lena Bergner

First half 20th centurey

Because Art Deco is a retrospective term we have chosen certain examples from the whole Art Moderne movement to fit our definition of Art Deco.

The first principle is geometric abstractions

Costume from the recent BBC production

of The Lady Vanishes

Rug by George Valmier 1930

Geometry with very little pictorial imagery

Repetition of line is an important principle.

Jacques Camus

O.R. Palistow, 1934

Victorian and Albert Museum

Dress from the 1930s

Dress possibly from the 1950s

Concentric lines, angles and arcs are a feature

1925

With the fan shape of concentric arcs a running theme.

Betty Joel, France, 1928

Swatch of "Coblentz" from my Modernism reproduction

collection for Moda.

Painted metal cocktail tray

Clara Posnanski

"Paul" for the Wiener Werkstatte,

circa 1915

Ribbon

Post World War II Lustreware

revived the Art Deco look

A variation of the fan is a scale design, radiating lines

1929 graphic design

Another geometric necessity is the zigurat or stairstep figure,

Soviet Textile

Sort of a Sawtooth strip look

French textile

The Dance magazine

"See It With Music"

So if one wanted to make the elusive Art Deco quilt

one could look to classic quilt patterns....

with concentric 90 degree angle designs...

Detail of a Brickwork rectangle quilt

Pattern by Ruby McKim

late 1920s

BlockBase #1304.5

Palm Leaf

With Sawteeth and other repeating triangles

Unknown pattern, no BlockBase number

With Concentric Arcs...

Fan quilt, early 20th century

BlockBase #3502

 Laura Wheeler/Alice Brooks drawing.

No BlockBase Number

And Scale designs...

Sunshine from the Clara Stone pattern business

about 1910

BlockBase #3347

Who inspired whom?

Craftsy recently posted some contemporary quilts they considered Art Deco. Do they meet your definition of Art Deco?

http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2013/09/art-deco-quilts/