Lewis Foreman Day - leading designer of the Arts & Crafts movement

This month we are profiling Lewis Foreman Day (1845-1910) one of the leading designers of the Arts & Crafts movement. He was a founder member of the Art Workers’ Guild and started his professional life as a glass painter, later moving into wallpaper and textiles. He also designed ceramic tiles for Maw & Co. and Pilkington. His work in surface pattern design included Japanese, Arabic and Persian influences.

Day was a prolific writer of books and articles in art magazines. One of his books is Nature in Ornament, of which we have an early copy dated 1896. This considers patterns from all over the world and how nature has inspired each culture to create its own style. Here are a couple of the plates for your enjoyment!