‘Desert and Camels’ or ‘Sahara’

This wallpaper was designed by Edward Bawden for manufacturer Curwen Press in 1928. Edward Bawden was a London-based artist and illustrator. This wallpaper was called ‘Sahara’ and features small, stylised red and black camels and Bedouins riding through a yellow and gold desert landscape. Bawden was one of Britain's official war artists during the Second World War when he produced a series of watercolour paintings. He was also commissioned by London Underground to design tiles for tube stations. Bawden’s ferry punt design is still used as a tile motif at Tottenham Hale Victoria Line Underground station in London.