The Leman Album contains the earliest-known English designs for woven silk…
Produced between 1706 and 1716, Spitalfields, London by the master weaver James Leman. The album showcases 97 amazingly bright patterns for woven silk fabrics that still look incredibly fresh and modern today.
Pineapple fruits were seen as a sign of hospitality, welcome and prestige in Georgian times, which has been translated into this bright and vibrant wallcovering “Pineapple Garden” designed by the 1838 Wallcoverings company in collaboration with The Victoria & Albert Museum.
Born in 1688 to an immigrant Huguenot family he became apprentice to his father at the age of 14. He began making the designs early in his apprenticeship in 1706 when he was just 18. His career was highly successful and in 1711 he was made second in command of The Weavers Company in London.
James Leman was both a designer and weaver which was very rare in England in those days but which made him a highly skilled producer of silk.
He was highly educated and cultured and an early member of The Botanical Society which obviously inspired his designs where he played with organic forms and their scale and also mixed in architectural elements. He was also one of the first designers to use gridded paper for his designs. The album contains colour codes to be relayed to the weaver and many threads would have been golden, which would have looked incredible worn as dress in a candlelit room.
One of the most notable ways in which the Leman Album has inspired artists and designers is through its intricate patterns and innovative designs.
From lush floral motifs to geometric abstractions, the album is a treasure trove of inspiration for creatives seeking to explore the possibilities of textile design. Its timeless elegance and meticulous craftsmanship serve as a beacon of excellence for those striving to create works of lasting beauty and significance.
One of the few surviving pieces of silk made from one of his designs was offered to the V&A by a dealer in historical textiles and was in remarkable condition, unfaded.
