About Dresser

Christopher Dresser was the son of a tax collector, born in Glasgow in 1834, the same year as William Morris. He attended the Government School of Design at the exceptionally early age of thirteen where he studied both design and botany, following a system of art education set up to train designers for industry.

Dresser was seventeen at the time of The Great Exhibition. He visited and was particularly impressed by the Indian exhibits which were a great contrast to the moribund pastiches displayed by British and European Industry. The exhibition was a resounding financial success and reflected the technological confidence of the age.

Dresser originally specialised in botany, receiving a doctorate from the University of Jena, but in 1860 decided to concentrated on his design career and set up his studio. His mentors, Pugin, Cole and Owen Jones forged a modern style, their particular concern being fitness for purpose. Dresser himself was to invent a language of design inspired by his study of botany and cultures beyond the confines of the West, exploiting the modern industrial production methods and materials. He became one of the most successful designers of his time, his studio designing for more than 50 manufacturers including Wedgwood, Minton and Coalbrookdale. From the mid 1870s onwards, most of his designs bore his signature, establishing his name as a brand and assuring consumers they were buying 'good taste'.

Towards the end of his career Dresser opened his store The Art Furnishers Alliance. Everything needed for the home was for sale, and approved by Dresser, but unfortunately this was a financial failure and soon closed. Dresser never regained his former celebrity but he continued his design practice for another 20 years. He died in 1904 in Mulhouse, France, while visiting a client.