Linear Flowers

This roller printed rayon textile was designed by Marion Mahler in 1953 for David Whitehead Ltd. Leading textile manufacturer David Whitehead Ltd used cost-effective textiles and machine printing to produce modern patterns by named designers. Their fabrics were affordable to British consumers in the 1950s, and were especially popular among young, design-conscious people. This design is very similar to Lucienne Day’s famous and hugely successful ‘Calyx’ pattern which was first produced a couple of years previously. The strong influence of Day’s design can be clearly seen in this pattern. This length of material was found in a linen cupboard in a Victorian house. The house had been updated in the 1950s by removing most of the Victorian features and re-decorating to modern 1950s tastes. This textile was used to make curtains and bedcovers.