Abstract
This paper examines the role and status of design in one of Ulster’s best known linen firms: the Old Bleach Linen Company from Randalstown, Co. Antrim. Founded in 1864, the company registered their designs from the 1870s and considered design and designing integral to their success and, in a declining industry, their survival too. By the Interwar period they had developed new linen dress fabric and furnishing fabric ranges, featuring in modish and elite markets such as American and British Vogue. Their design origins and evolution grew from exceptional design education in London with an ambition to offer well designed modern linen. Using primary source material from several national and international archives and private collections, this paper considers and critiques how they achieved that.
| Original language | English |
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| Publication status | Published (in print/issue) - 5 Oct 2023 |
| Event | Linen Biennale: A celebration of linen, past, present, and future - Lisburn, Northern Ireland Duration: 28 Jul 2023 → 7 Nov 2023 https://www.linenbiennalenorthernireland.com/ |
Conference
| Conference | Linen Biennale: A celebration of linen, past, present, and future |
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| Country/Territory | Northern Ireland |
| City | Lisburn |
| Period | 28/07/23 → 7/11/23 |
| Internet address |
Keywords
- design origins
- design evolution
- Irish linen
- modernity
- design for industry
- Ulster
- Interwar
- Old Bleach Linen Company
