Lucienne Day – an introduction
Of all the talented women textile designers of post-war Britain, Lucienne Day's influence is the most far-reaching
Lucienne Day
Textile designer Lucienne Day (1917 – 2010) graduated from the Royal College of Art in 1940, but her career breakthrough came with the launch of her pioneering contemporary textile 'Calyx', designed for the Festival of Britain in 1951, which embodied the energy and optimism of the postwar period.
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In the following two decades she produced more than 70 highly original textile designs for Heal Fabrics, as well as responding to commissions from numerous other companies in Britain and abroad. The V&A's Lucienne Day collection includes dress fabrics, furnishing fabrics, tea towels, wallpapers and carpets, as well as examples of the one-off 'silk mosaics' she designed during her second phase of creativity from the late 1970s onwards.
Collection highlights
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Four Seasons: Winter, plate, designed by Lucienne Day, manufactured by Rosenthal, 1958 – 9, England -
Flying in Blue, hanging, designed by Lucienne Day, 1985, UK -
Foreshore, furnishing fabric, designed by Lucienne Day, made for Edinburgh Weavers, 1952, Carlisle, Scotland -
Herb Antony, furnishing fabric, designed by Lucienne Day, manufactured by Heal & Son Ltd, 1956, England -
Provence, wallpaper, designed by Lucienne Day, manufactured by John Line & Sons Ltd., 1951, England -
Sunrise, furnishing fabric, designed by Lucienne Day, made for Heal Fabrics Ltd., 1969, UK -
(Detail) Hazy Daisy, curtain, designed by Lucienne Day, made for Heals, 1971, UK -
Calyx, furnishing fabric, designed by Lucienne Day, made for Heal's, 1951, UK -
Bouquet Garni, glass towel, designed by Lucienne Day, manufactured by Thomas Somerset & Co., 1960, Ireland
Features
Header image: Background image: Calyx, furnishing fabric, Lucienne Day, 1951, England. Museum no. T.161-1995. © Robin and Lucienne Day Foundation/Victoria and Albert Museum, London