Christopher Dresser

Christopher Dresser (1834–1904) is widely regarded as Britain’s first independent industrial designer. His works still look remarkably modern more than a century later. Like his contemporary William Morris, Dresser advocated for an ‘honesty of materials’, but unlike Morris he fully embraced industrial techniques, designing for the growing consumer market. Dresser’s fascination with the arts of Japan and his advocacy of Owen Jones’s principle that all ornament should be geometrical in form resulted in a range of designs that look surprisingly minimal for their time. Affordable, well-designed, functional and commercially successful, the objects that Dresser designed, wallpapers, textiles, carpets, ceramics, furniture and, most famously, metalwork – were industrially produced by more than fifty manufacturers across the UK, US and continental Europe. This compact, beautifully produced book on the work of Christopher Dresser begins with a brief introduction to his life and work before presenting seventyfive of his most important pieces, each accompanied by a narrative-style caption. It will appeal to anyone interested in modern design.