The flowing abstractions of nature found so often in Art Nouveau designs appear on this furnishing fabric intended for use as curtains or upholstery. Printed in a crisp palette of cream and black with golden accents, the allover pattern suggests a myriad of design inspirations including peacock feathers, waving sea plants, fields of poppies, and Japanese blue resist textiles. The undulating motifs are stylistically similar to textiles designed by the English architect Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo (1851-1942) for the Century Guild, a decorative arts organization he founded in 1882. With the commitment to a new aesthetic being voiced in England and on the continent, ideas traveling from proponents of the English Arts and Crafts movement to the creators of French Art Nouveau resulted in textiles, such as this velveteen, being made available to consumers for the decoration of highly modern late nineteenth-century interiors.

Provenance: Archive of Scheurer-Rott & Cie. Founded in 1813 with the name Liebach, Scherrer & Cie, the company produced textiles throughout the century and was known from the 1890s on as Scheurer, Lauth & Cie.