See more objects with the color midnightblue silver slategrey lightslategrey darkslateblue or see all the colors for this object.

Object Timeline

1960

  • Work on this object began.

1969

  • Work on this object ended.

2007

2012

2023

  • You found it!

Textile, Big City

This is a Textile. It is dated 1960s and we acquired it in 2007. Its medium is cotton and its technique is screen printed on plain weave. It is a part of the Textiles department.

Big City features a cubist cityscape that has a highly dimensional as well as decorative effect.
The textile was manufactured by Sanderson Fabrics. Arthur Sanderson & Sons was initially founded in 1860 as a manufacturer of wallpapers, but began producing textiles in 1921. In 1936, the firm changed its name to Sanderson Fabrics. They operated with a large in-house studio of designers. For their centenary in 1960, however, they commissioned designs from a large number of influential designers including John Piper, Gio Ponti, and Frank Lloyd Wright. This piece is a fusion of the optical effects popularized by Barbara Brown and the art deco revival, which reached its peak in 1969.
At the time of proposed acquisition, the museum’s collection holds a large number of Sanderson wallpapers and four textiles, most from the 1930s through the 1950s.

It is credited Museum purchase from General Acquisitions Endowment Fund.

  • Object ID #18468717
  • black crayon, stumped, pen and black ink, brush and black wash, varnish on....
  • Gift of Mrs. Hugh Ferriss.
  • 1969-137-4
  • Object ID #18177711
  • block-printed paper on pasteboard support.
  • Gift of Mrs. James O. Green.
  • 1913-12-4-a,b
  • Object ID #18390641
  • graphite with fixative on tracing paper mounted on cardboard .
  • Gift of Ely Jacques Kahn..
  • 1952-15-13

Our curators have highlighted 12 objects that are related to this one. Here are three of them, selected at random:

Its dimensions are

H x W: 182.9 x 125.7 cm (72 x 49 1/2 in.)

It is inscribed

Big City A Quaintance Design by Sanderson (printed in selvedge)

Cite this object as

Textile, Big City; England; cotton; H x W: 182.9 x 125.7 cm (72 x 49 1/2 in.); Museum purchase from General Acquisitions Endowment Fund; 2007-5-2

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use page.

For higher resolution or commercial use contact ArtResource.

If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://www-6.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18707875/ |title=Textile, Big City |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=6 June 2023 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>