Sheet with overall stripe pattern with squiggly lines
19th century
Medium
Relief print (wood or metal)
Dimensions
Sheet: 7 3/4 × 9 5/8 in. (19.7 × 24.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1940
Accession Number
40.21.83
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
This unassuming yet captivating *Sheet with overall stripe pattern with squly lines*, created anonymously in the 19 century, exemplifies the era's fascination with repeatable decorative motifs. Measuring a modest 7 3/4 × 9 5/8 inches, this relief print—likely executed on wood or metal—features bold stripes interwoven with playful, undulating squiggles, evoking the dynamic of industrial-age design. Such patterns were staples in pattern books used by textile manufacturers, wallpaper producers, and printers, fueling the mass production boom during the 19th century. The relief printing technique,...
About the Artist
Anonymous
In the vast tapestry of art history, "Anonymous" stands not as a singular individual but as a collective designation for countless unidentified creators whose works have endured across millennia. These artists, spanning prehistoric cave painters to medieval illuminators and folk craftsmen, produced the foundational layers of human visual culture. Prior to the Renaissance, when individual fame emer...