'Havant' table runner and the process of design

Francis Johnston (left) and fellow designers in the drawing office at Vicars and Poirson. Museum no. AAD/2001/1/1

Francis Johnston made a series of design sketches, from the intitial rough sketch in charcoal on detail paper to the final colour version, as seen below

Francis Johnston was born in 1889 in Upper Holloway, London and died in Southend-on-Sea on 10 May , 1965.  He was admitted to the orphan working school, Maitland Park, Haverstock Hill, London in July 1896 and left in December 1903, aged 14 years. His first and only job was at Vicars & Poirson, Newgate Street and Farringdon Road in the City of London in 1904 until he retired in 1962. The company was dissolved in 1989. The company trademark was the fleur de lis which can be seen at the top of the plate of printed instructions for the design known as ‘Havant'. Vicars & Poirson employed three or four designers up until 1939 but after 1945 Francis Johnston was the only one whom they employed.

Johnston usually produced designs in stages that can be demonstrated by a pattern showing a series of drawings of anemones and mimosa that was adapted for a table runner. This strip of textile placed across a table or dressing table for decoration is entitled ‘Havant’ after the town in Hampshire from a series of embroidery designs named after British towns.

Johnston made a series of design sketches, from the intitial rough sketch in charcoal on detail paper to the final colour version, as seen below.

Printed plate with instructions for embroidery design for a table runner entitled ‘Havant’,Francis Johnston

Printed plate with instructions for embroidery design for a table runner entitled ‘Havant’
Francis Johnston (1889-1965)
Designed for Vicars & Poirson Limited
England, London
1930-1950
Colour print
Museum no. AAD/2001/1/1

Lettered ‘ “FLEUR DE LIS” ART NEEDLEWORK  Designed & produced by VICARS & POIRSON LIMITED, 105-7 Farringdon Road, London, E.C.1. DESIGNED BY ARTISTS – TRACED BY CRAFTSMEN FOR THE DISCRIMINATING NEEDLEWOMAN’.

Design for needlework pattern depicting anemones, Francis Johnston

Design for needlework pattern depicting anemones, adapted for the ‘Havant’ design for a table runner
Francis Johnston
Vicars & Poirson
England, London
1930-1950
Charcoal sketch
Museum no. E.1550-2001

Johnston made a rough sketch in charcoal on detail paper as in this design which is both different from the later versions of the pattern and orientated in a portrait rather than landscape format. Johnston’s son, Kenneth, stated that 'My father often drew a design dozens of times before he produced a version which satisfied him.'

Design for needlework pattern depicting anemones, Francis Johnston

Design for needlework pattern depicting anemones, adapted for the ‘Havant’ design for a table runner
Francis Johnston (1889-1965)
Designed for Vicars & Poirson Limited
England, London
1930-1950
Pencil drawing
Museum no. E.1551-2001

Johnston would produce a more final design in lead pencil, as in this case, or in single- coloured pencil (usually blue) on detail paper. This design depicts a pencil sketch of flowers arranged in a circular format. There are pinholes in the centre which were probably made by a compass to get a perfect circle. 

Design for needlework pattern depicting anemones, Francis Johnston

Design for needlework pattern depicting anemones, adapted for the ‘Havant’ design for a table runner
Francis Johnston (1889-1965)
Designed for Vicars & Poirson Limited
England, London
1930-1950
Blue pencil
Museum no. E.1554-2001

A second design in blue pencil, inscribed ‘bottom’ to orientate the design, on tracing paper is part of this more final stage in the design process. These versions were normally perforated - the holes that penetrated the entire length of the lines of the design were punched through the paper by a perforation machine which can be seen in front of Francis Johnston and his colleagues in the photograph of the drawing office. None of the designs in the  group related to the ‘Havant’ pattern, are pricked and pounced for transfer, perhaps because they were kept as records. This design is therefore a more finished drawing in the process of design than the sketch in charcoal.

Design for needlework pattern depicting anemones, Francis Johnston

Design for needlework pattern depicting anemones, adapted for the ‘Havant’ design for a table runner
Francis Johnston (1889-1965)
Designed for Vicars & Poirson Limited
England, London
1930-1950
Blue pencil
Museum no. E.1553-2001

A design which was also done as part of the more final stage, blue pencil on tracing paper.

Design for needlework pattern depicting anemones, Francis Johnston

Design for needlework pattern depicting anemones, adapted for the ‘Havant’ design for a table runner
Francis Johnston (1889-1965)
Designed for Vicars & Poirson Limited
England, London
1930-1950
Pencil drawing
Museum no. E.1551-2001

Yet another design for embroidery for the flowers is in pencil and arranged in a circular form with a pinhole in the centre to ensure a perfect circle.

Design for needlework pattern depicting anemones, Francis Johnston

Design for needlework pattern depicting anemones, adapted for the ‘Havant’ design for a table runner
Francis Johnston (1889-1965)
Designed for Vicars & Poirson Limited
England, London
1930-1950
Coloured wax crayon
Museum no. E.1556-2001

A second design in coloured wax crayons also forms the end of the design process.

Design, perforated by Francis Johnston for Vicars & Poirson

Design, perforated by Francis Johnston for Vicars & Poirson
England, London
1930-1950
Museum no. AAD/2001/1/1

This design of Tudor roses amidst intertwining foliage is an example of a final perforated design. It shows the holes punched through the paper by a perforation machine. The perforated copy was  placed onto a textile and a blue powder was then pounced through the holes. This pouncing transferred the design to the textile which was then sprayed with methylated spirits to set the powder and thus the design onto the textile. None of the designs in the  group related to the ‘Havant’ pattern, are pricked and pounced for transfer, perhaps because they were kept as records. There are many perforated designs amongst the Francis Johnston archive at the V&A’s Archive of Art and Design. Numerous perforated copies were needed. The process was labour intensive and the more successful the design the more labour was needed from the designer to produce additional, perforated copies.

Design for needlework pattern depicting anemones, Francis Johnston

Design for needlework pattern depicting anemones, adapted for the ‘Havant’ design for a table runner
Francis Johnston (1889-1965)
Designed for Vicars & Poirson Limited
England, London
1930-1950
Pencil and coloured wax crayons
Museum no. E.1555-2001

This design represents the end of the design process in that it is finished in coloured wax crayons indicating the colour of the areas that are to be embroidered in coloured threads.