Wallpaper and Textiles

The main business of Dresser's studio was designing wallpapers and textiles. The invention of power-operated machinery had brought these industries to the forefront of the manufacturing revolution, offering people an inexpensive means of transforming their homes.

However, few of Dresser's textiles and wallpapers have survived. Examples filed at the Design Registry Office under the new patent laws do not bear his name. His work with such perishable materials has to be reconstructed from the few illustrated examples and by attribution.

Dresser worked for many firms. The examples shown in the exhibition come from some of his most important clients, including such British companies as Ward of Halifax, Jeffrey of Islington, Cooke of Leeds and Woollams of London. He also designed for a number of French firms, including Desfossé of Paris and Zuber of Mulhouse. Wilson & Fenimores of Philadelphia registered 13 of Dresser's designs in the United States. Dresser was vice-chairman of the wallpaper jury at the Paris 1878 International Exhibition.