Francis Johnston and the Process of Design

embroidery, Francis, Johnston, Process, Design

  • 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, 1930-1950. Museum no. AAD/2001/1/1

    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, Francis Johnston, 1930-1950. Museum no. E.1550-2001

    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, Francis Johnston, 1930-1950. Museum no. E.1551-2001

    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, Francis Johnston, 1930-1950. Museum no. E.1554-2001

    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, Francis Johnston, 1930-1950. Museum no. E.1553-2001

    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, Francis Johnston, 1930-1950. Museum no. E.1552-2001.

    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, Francis Johnston, 1930-1950. Museum no. E.1556-2001

    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, 1930-1950, England, London. Museum no. AAD/2001/1/1

    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, Francis Johnston, 1930-1950. Museum no. E.1555-2001

    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.