SOLD

John Scarratt Rigby
c 1890

Stunning colour and design. These could be used for wall hangings or made into curtains.

Cataloguing

designed panels, probably for Liberty's of Regent Street, London and woven by Arthur Lee of Birkenhead, each of the four panels with exotic lilies in beige with white highlighting and intertwined beige leaves on a scarlet background, pattern repeat 35 in. h ; 23 ? in. w. fabric width, original twisted rope edging. 1. 7 ft x 5 ft 4 in. w; 2. 7 ft x 5 ft 2 in. w; 3. 7 ft x 4 ft 1 in. w; 4. 7 ft 10 in x 4 ft 9 in w; John Scarratt Rigby (active by 1889). Designer. Possible part of the company ?Rigby and Rigby? which exhibited machine-printed muslin curtains, designed by ?John Rigby? in 1889 . A founder member of the Society of Designers, he wrote a number of reviews and articles on design including ?Remarks on Morris Work and its Influence on British Decorative Arts of To-Day? (Art Workers? Quarterly, 1902). He produced designs for GP & J Baker, Arthur Lee of Birkenhead, Alexander Morton and Templeton & Co. His woven and printed textiles were sold through Liberty?s. In 1890 and 1893 he exhibited designs for velvets and in 1899 a silk and cotton double cloth made by Morton and sold through Liberty?s. The V & A owns two designs and one printed cotton. Arthur H Lee & Sons were manufacturers of woven fabrics. The founder Arthur Henry Lee (1853-1932) was the son of Henry Lee, one of the first partners in the textile firm of Tootal Broadhurst Lee. He was put in charge of the company?s spinning mill when he was eighteen and later a cotton mill in Bolton, Lancashire where he set up a few looms to weave patterned woollen cloths. In 1888 he moved these jacquard looms to Armitage and Rigby?s cotton spinning factory in Warrington, which was owned by his wife?s family. Here Lee set up his own business where he produced high quality jacquard-woven wool, silk and cotton furnishing fabrics, using the work of the most important designers of the late 19th c. including Voysey, Walter Crane, George Haite and Lewis Day. All his fabrics woven for the various Arts & Crafts Exhibitions were woven here. All three sons joined him in the business with Humphrey starting the American firm of Arthur H Lee Inc. in New York. The firm later supplied textiles for the entrances of the British section of the St Louis Exhibition in 1904. In 1904 the British factory moved to Birkenhead and takes its name from this move, generally known as Arthur Lee of Birkenhead. The factory closed in 1970. Extracts from Textiles of the Arts and Crafts Movement by Linda Parry (Thames & Hudson 1896)

Condition

Strong and ideal to use. These have all been cleaned by a specialist cleaner recommended by the Victoria & Albert Museum? 1. 45 in. width seam (wider section on left hand side). Little fading to left and right hand side. 2. 45 in. join (wider section on the right hand side). Little fading to right hand side. Few warp threads loose and need to be couched down. 3. 45 in. single width panel. Both edges have areas where warp threads have lifted and these need couching down. Slight fading to left and right hand side in places. 4. This panel is in the least good condition. The left hand side has some areas where the warp threads have lifted slightly Little fading at the bottom left. The lower right hand side 15 in. down to hem has little areas of wear. One seam 37 ? in. in.(left hand side wider panel.) All the cord has worn in places particularly the red silk, but the overall effect is good and I don?t think this is very noticeable. I will get all the lifted warp threads couched (caught down with invisible thread) and the price includes this work. Photos available of damaged areas.