Upholstery Fabric for the Fisher Theater
Mrs. Howard C. Blake
1918–1938
- Medium
- Cotton and wool, plain weave with supplementary pile warps forming cut solid velvet; printed
- Dimensions
- 183.5 × 141.3 cm (72 1/4 × 55 5/8 in.); Repeat: 68.4 × 68.5 cm (27 × 27 in.)
- Genre
- textile
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Styles
Tags
block printingcotton (textile)wool (textile)Modernismscreen printingweaving - printedTextileweaving - velvetplain weaving
About
This velvet was designed to fit into the highly fantastical and elaborate Pre-Columbian inspired interior of the Fisher Theater in Detroit, illustrated in the panel to the left. The brightly colored and boldly patterned fabric, which features an abstract figure, coordinated with the overall theatricality of the environment. Pre-Columbian art and architecture became increasingly popular among American designers during the 1920s and ‘30s, in part due to the perception that these ancient art forms set a precedent for American artistic achievement independent of Europe.