History of 19th and 20th Century Design

                        Exam 1

Part 1

Please fill in the blank of the following ten questions. You can number your answers from 1 to 10 and simply provide the individual name next to the number. For example: 1. Summerly's Art Manufacturers

1. _________Large centers set up in western and northwestern Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries and financed by the Crown to bring a large staff of artists, decorators and engravers together. Close by were factories where hundreds of craftsmen and their assistants were grouped to make a variety of products for the wealthy classes in society.

2.__________The first important pattern book of the 19th century that dealt with interiors as a stylistic whole and that featured a single dominant style that originated in a previous period of history.

3. _________What educational institution was formed in London as a result of a government initiative in the 1830s to reform standards of design and public taste in Britain?

4._________What was the name of the great event sponsored by Prince Albert and Henry Cole that, in Albert's words, would give Britain "a living picture" of the true state of the decorative arts in the world while providing a new starting point from which nations will be able to direct their future efforts?

5._________The battle of the styles in Britain put which two historical decorative styles in competition with one another for the hearts and minds of the British public?

6. _________What was the name of the second commercial premises of William Morris's company where Morris and his associates would have more room for display, offices and workshops?

7._________The professional training of Morris, Mackmurdo and Ashbee was in what discipline?

8._________What was the name of the first collective or guild of artists and tradespeople in the British Arts and Crafts Movement?

9.________The British Arts and Crafts cooperative that moved to the country as part of a bold initiative to interact with the village economy for the betterment of both the company and the local community.

10._______Which American designer and manufacturer said that he tended to overconstruct in his furniture while the structural lines in his products "should be obtrusive rather than obscured," and should contribute to the decoration of the piece?

Part II: Five Essay Questions

Please answer five out of the following eight essay questions. Your answer should be at least one half typed page or about 125 words in length. You can send your answers to me by e-mail (duffym@mail.ecu.edu). You can copy and paste them into an e-mail or send them as a Word attachment in an e-mail. If you send an attachment, please make sure that the attached file is compatible with Macintosh.

Your answers are due on Monday, February 10.

1. Please discuss the history of Samuel Colt and his company that manufactured firearms. How did Colt's activities contribute to the development of mechanization and standardization in nineteenth- century America?

2. Please discuss the invention of the sewing machine and the development of Isaac M. Singer's company that manufactured sewing machines. How did Singer's activities contribute to the development of mechanization and good product design in later nineteenth century America?

3. How did public exhibitions in the nineteenth century promote good design? You should discuss the Crystal Palace Exhibition of 1851 and the contact that the art manufactures in Britain and America had with the large public exhibitions.

4. Please discuss important developments in furniture design during the Arts and Crafts Movement in Europe and America. In your answer, focus on three companies from either nation and describe how their philosophy and their practices in individual products exemplify some of the new directions taken by arts and crafts designers.

5. Please discuss the innovations of Kelmscott Press. What was the early influence of William Morris on American graphic design at the turn of the century? Please describe the fine book as Morris conceived it and also the type designs of Kelmscott Press and American private presses like Merrymount Press.

6. Please discuss developments in textile design during the Arts and Crafts Movement in Britain and America. How did William Morris treat textiles that were to be used in the home? How did the Society for Blue and White Needlework embody the Arts and Crafts ideals?

7. Please discuss significant developments in metal design during the Arts and Crafts Movement. You may wish to write about Christopher Dresser and the Guild of Handicraft. In America, be sure to include the Kalo and Copper Shops.

8. Please discuss some of the developments in Arts and Crafts Pottery during the Arts and Crafts Movement. You should note the principal potters in Britain and spend more time on the American designers, on whom there is much more material in the textbook and website.