Dresser the Designer

By 1868 Dresser lived in a large house in Kensington, London, from which he ran his busy studio. He adopted a number of roles. He worked as a designer, as a supplier of designs drawn up in his studio, and as an advisor to manufacturers. In 1871 he observed: 'As an Ornamentist I have much the largest practice in the Kingdom; so far as I know there is not one branch of Art manufacture that I do not regularly design patterns for, and I hold regular appointments as "art-adviser" and "Chief-designer" to several of our largest art-manufacturing firms'. In 1869, for example, he supplied 158 designs for woven textiles to Ward of Halifax, as well as to many other clients.

No less than five of Dresser's clients were involved with Henry Cole's experiment in design reform, Summerly's Art-Manufactures, set up in 1847 to produce well-designed objects. They were Wedgwood and Minton for ceramics, Elkington and James Dixon for silver-plate, and Coalbrookdale for cast iron. These influential companies were showcases for design reform and took part in the succession of international exhibitions that followed the GreatExhibition of 1851.

Early in his career Dresser was taken up by a number of leading manufacturers, but he had little control over their use of his designs. In a bid to establish his individual identity as a designer, he exhibited ironwork, carpets and ceramics under his own name at the 1871 London International Exhibition. From 1874 his name began to appear on products.Dresser was a pioneer of branding, and much of his later output bears his facsimile signature or the words 'Designed by Dr C Dresser'.