Omnium Gatherum - A Collection of Papers || "The Source of Art is in the Life of a People" The Crane...

The Decorative Arts Society 1850 to the Present

"The Source of Art is in the Life of a People" The Crane Floor: Walter Crane and the SouthLondon GalleryAuthor(s): Christopher JordanSource: The Journal of the Decorative Arts Society 1850 - the Present, No. 26, OmniumGatherum - A Collection of Papers (2002), pp. 60-71Published by: The Decorative Arts Society 1850 to the PresentStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41809325 .

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60



The Source of Art is in the

Life of a People

The Crane Floor:

Walter Crane and the

South London Gallery

Christopher Jordan

The institution was the first of its kind in South London , and has doubtless been a great influence for good -1

Walter Crane (1845-1915) 'was typical of his generation in his adherence to an ideology of public service, whereby men who had achieved status within their profession took on a variety of honorary roles' (fig. 2). 2 He designed the original floor panel for the South London Gallery, covered in the 1960s because of concerns for its condition. Its recent uncovering offered an appropriate opportunity to consider Crane's contribution to the creation of the gallery (fig. 4). 3 The background to this is more complex than is first apparent; it is the realisation of a philosophy as much as a work of decorative art. The following discussion is based on material traced during research before and since uncovering the floor.

The floor is an exemplar of the fusion that given the will, can produce harmony between the fine and decorative arts. While Crane's design can be appreciated purely as a decorative object, it may be more fully understood when it is recognised as a highly visible public statement embodying both his socialist idealism and the principles of good design. It is clear that Crane saw the creation of the floor and the gift and loan of other works for exhibition as a great opportunity for him to demonstrate the range of his achievement within a new public gallery.

The South London Art Gallery, its name shortened to South London Gallery in the 1990s, was opened on 4 May 1891. The later facade (1898) was designed by Maurice B.Adams (1849 -1933) but the architect of the exhibition space is unknown. Its interior proportions are almost that of a double cube. With windowless walls and unobtrusive cornice below a central clerestory, the sole decoration was the floor design by Walter Crane. The practical application of his Fabian ideas to design were discussed in The Claims of Decorative Art, (1892) (fig. 3). Its cover illustrates his passionate belief that there must be a search for equality

Frontispiece: Fig. 1 Sketch design for inlaid floor for the South London Fine Art Gallery, c. 1891. Pencil, pen and ink, touched with white. 32.5 x 16.5 cm. The sketch represents half the design. Courtesy Victoria & Albert Museum E2382-1920.

Fig. 2 Walter Crane. Crane first and foremost strove for recognition as a painter. Here on this fragment of a larger photograph, the artist is caught in conversation, seemingly unposed before the easel. Date and location unknown. Courtesy Anthony Crane

and unity of ideas, if a state of harmony was to be achieved within and between art and labour, particularly that of the 'equality and unity of all art- workers'. 4 It was imperative that the arts had 'primal unity in architecture', but also essential that within 'this fraternal unity none is before or after the other'.5 His design for the floor was to be the fruit of this thinking.

As a practitioner of both the fine and decorative arts, Crane was all too aware of the possible tensions between them. Confronting the issue in his writing, he rightly saw such differences as destructive: that 'to improve standards of design and production' it was essential that there must be a drawing together and shaking of hands: a foundation and new 'pattern for the reconstruction of society' (fig. 3). 6 Not an original thinker, Crane's strength was his ability in his writing, graphic art and organising skills and encouraging others

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Fig. 3 The Claims of Decorative Art. 1892. Cover Design (detail). Art and Labour symbolically shake hands. Courtesy Camberwell College of Arts

to draw from and build upon ideas; notably those of William Morris, Thomas Carlyle and practical men like the Revd. F.D. Maurice, founder in 1854 of the first London Working Men's College. Crane sought to emulate Maurice's vision 'To make men fellow workers instead of rivals, this I hold, is the end which we should set before us'.7

It is sometimes difficult today to grasp a sense of the passions aroused by the conflict between capital and labour in the late 19th Century; in particular the romantic idealism that inspired some amongst the middle classes to take up the cause of the working man. The establishment of an art gallery for the working people of south London, open on Sundays - the only day off for the working man, was a practical manifestation of that enlightened and visionary idealism.

Crane's contribution to and active support of socialist ideals is largely forgotten today. He felt strongly that only through unity would the goals of workers be achieved. Unlike Morris, he was more an armchair interventionist than an activist, believing that his skills were better employed in persuasion by the written word and through the practical application of his artistry. He was particularly distressed at the schisms between factions within the Labour movement, culminating in his being a signatory to representations to the Conservative Prime Minister Arthur Balfour in 1903, considering 'the most urgent question of the day from a Socialist standpoint [to be], the formation at an early date, of a united and effective Socialist party of Great Britain and Ireland'.8 A correspondent looked to him

Fig. 4 Walter Crane exhibition, and Floor, South London Gallery. Walter Crane : London Open House 2001 , September 2001

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Fig. 5 The Triumph of Labour. 1891. 33.5 x 80.5 cm. Woodcut by Henry Schell after the 1890 design by Walter Crane. South London Gallery

through his position and influence within 'the Kelmscott Club' to be a rallying point for 'unity among the Socialist forces', that through

4 you as Chairman of

this Committee ... [it] should take up the business at the point to which it has been brought by [letters to] The Clarion and see if something can be done'.9

Practical demonstration of these socialist ideals in Crane s own output came primarily through his graphic work, epitomised in his 1891 design The Triumph of Labour (fig. 5). While Crane has been criticised for his unrealistic aspiration to be an oil painter, he recognised his limitations in other areas: 'No great orator ... he was marvellously eloquent when he began to draw'. Produced as a woodcut print, the idea for the The Triumph of Labour came from wood engraver Henry Schell. Crane was justifiably proud of the result, perhaps his most important graphic socialist design. He first lent, and later gave, a copy for the opening of the 1891 exhibition at the South London Art Gallery. Shown alongside the new floor, this was probably the first public showing of his design. Crane later recalled: 'William Morris told me he thought it the best thing I had done. "The design ... represented a procession of workers of all kinds, both manual and mental, marching out to celebrate the International May Holiday, and bearing banners and emblems declaring their ideals, such as "The Land for the People," "Freedom, Fraternity, Equality," "Wage Workers of all countries unite," "Labour the Source ofWealth." Issued simultaneously in different countries, I rewrote the mottoes in French and German, and I think Italian also'.10

Pursuit of the ideal of 'unity of public sentiment', 11

was aided when he accepted the role of examiner for the National Art Training School, part-time Director of Design for Manchester School of Art in 1893 (resigned 1896) and later Principal of the Royal College of Art in 1898. While never the most comfortable of speakers, and to an extent disliking the notion of art as being something that can be taught, he recognised

pragmatically that if he was to get his ideas accepted he had to promote them by words as well as through his practice. He also clearly understood that while there was a need to sometimes take your argument to the street, for him, 'education, not revolution was the main way forward'.12 He must also have accepted by this time that if his ideas on decorative art were to reach an audience beyond the prosperous middle classes he had to seek other outlets. In contrast to a number of private commissions for interior decoration of private homes (fig. 6), disappointingly few opportunities arose for him to demonstrate his ideas on the 'artistic interior', in 'public' art.13

His association with the planning for a south London art gallery was arguably the most splendid and lasting legacy of his ideas on decorative art. It arose through his close acquaintance with the artist George Frederick Watts (1817-1904), who had painted a portrait of Crane for his own collection in 1891. 14 Watts and his wife Mary sat on the South London Art Gallery Council of Management. It appears that Watts mentioned the proposal for a gallery in Camberwell and its plans to bring art south of the Thames. Crane must have responded with enthusiasm, the consequence of which was Frederic Lord Leighton (1850-1 896) 15 asking him to join the Council of Management.16 Crane, 'a quiet man' but with 'a flair for publicity'17 was not exactly an unknown quantity to Leighton, who had bought one of Crane's oil paintings many years before and, according to Crane, maintained a passing acquaintance since that time. Leighton must also have been familiar with Crane s commitment to the socialist movement through his celebrated graphic art. Something of a showman, Crane was small and dapper: Alan Crawford recently recalled how 'William Rothenstein described how he normally wore a velvet jacket and a flowing yellow tie. Whether in formal portrait ..or more casual ...[in] photographs he wants you to see him as an artist'.18 A rare photographic fragment of Crane in conversation in his

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studio is the nearest to catching him in informal, but still flattering, pose (fig. 2).

No minutes of the Council meetings appear to have survived. Crane recalled: 'The members of this Council included [G.F.Watts] and Mrs. Watts, Lord Leighton (President), Sir James Linton, Sir Edward and Lady Burne-Jones, Sir Wyke Bayliss, and myself and several others, but those named were the active members'.19 The statement is slightly and perhaps deliberately ambiguous as to whether, in comparison with others on the Council, he regarded himself as an active member. He is possibly implying he recognised that he performed a lesser role organisationally overall than others, although ironically the only personal visible artistic legacy of the Council itself within the structure is his. Not usually modest in declaring his involvement in affairs, these few words do little to enlighten us as to how great or small his contribution to the management actually was.

Founded by William Rossiter (b.1831), the gallery had its origins in the South London Working Mens College, opened with him as manager in 1868 at Blackfriars Road.20 Rossiter's background and education is unclear. A trunk maker at 15 Greville Street, St. Andrew, Holborn, he later became a teacher at the Working Men's College. Inspired by the teaching of the Revd. F.D. Maurice, Rossiter formed 'the idea of a college in South London, in the midst of the workers'.21 It was Rossiter's policy not to stay in the area once the Free Library Act (1850) was adopted, moving his organisation to where he felt it was most needed. Following Lambeth's adoption of the Act he moved to Battersea in 1884 and an old glassworks at 207

Camberwell Road in 1887. Following approaches to Sir Frederic Leighton, Watts and Burne-Jones, for support, Rossiter bought the freehold of Portland H ouse on Peckham Road in 1889 and began construction of a gallery in the grounds.22 Following demolition of the house this was soon extended to include a new foundation, The Camberwell College of Arts and Crafts, officially opened in 1898 by Sir Edward Poynter, President of the Royal Academy.

Crane's design for the gallery floor was published in Building News, 24 April 1891, the week before the gallery opened. A note on his original drawing indicated that the work was carried out by Charles Steinitz and Co. (fig.l). It is likely that though commissioned to provide the floor, its manufacturer became perforce its donor, for immediately prior to its completion the gallery was roofless and in considerable financial difficulties.23 Although this appears to be the case, it may not be the entire picture. Other evidence suggests that like many on the founding council, Steinitz also had socialist leanings and was thus sympathetic to the ideals behind establishing the gallery. No details of Steinitz & Co. have been found at the gallery but the company traded in 1884 as parquet flooring manufacturers at 19 Baker Street, with works at Camberwell Hall, Grove Lane, Camberwell (fig. 7) and at Stratford.24 A successful business, Steinitz was issued with a Warrant of Appointment to the Prince of Wales in January 1884, renewed in December 1890. Charles Steinitz had retired by then but his successor Arthur Henry Jefferies continued trading at Camberwell under his name.25 Details of Royal commissions by Steinitz under warrant have unfortunately not survived.

Fig. 6 Sketch design for small panels for a fireplace ingesso. Undated. 14.8 x 28 cm. Pen and ink, touched with white. Courtesy Anthony Crane.

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Fig. 7 Camberwell Hall, Grove Lane, Camberwell. January 2002. Former premises of Steinitz & Co., manufacturer of the Crane floor.

Camberwell Hall, formerly part of a complex of buildings forming a country tavern and tea-gardens called Grove House, was the local assembly rooms, and although taken over by Charles Steinitz as business premises, he continued to offer the rooms for functions.26 He himself was honorary secretary of the Young Mens Christian Association, while his daughter was similarly appointed to the Young Women s Christian Association, both of which operated from Camberwell Hall.27 In view of his leanings it is therefore probable that, knowing of the problems at the gallery, he freely gave the materials and construction of the floor at the time of his retirement. Valued at £100, it was a generous gift.

On a single level, the gallery is 70 (21.35 m) by 34 feet (10.50 m), and 24 feet (7.32 m) high.28 As constructed, the original floor was of polished oak boarding 29 surrounding the central rectangular marquetry panel, designed by Walter Crane (fig. 4). Measuring 34 feet (10.50 m) by 9 feet 6 inches (2.90 m), as long as the gallery is wide, the panel design of a lily pool is slightly smaller than the clerestory above and placed in the fall of natural light.30

The source of the idea to create a two dimensional pond, in flat colour complete with vegetation and creatures is unknown, but the use of a real pond in a gallery was not new. Leighton had incorporated a pool

in his own home, while Russell-Cotes at Bournemouth did likewise. Both are still extant.31 Although at first sight the floor's construction appears complex, examination suggests it consists of a series of interlocking rectangular panels of various sizes, surrounding two very long and a single smaller central cross panel. These back panels are laid with thin glued on veneers of natural wood. Described by one writer as exotic, they appear in fact to be a mixture of native and foreign timbers, with extensive use of light and dark oak, ash, mahogany and ebony. The juxtaposing of highly contrasting colours deceives the eye into thinking there is a greater variety of timbers and colours present than is actually the case.

In setting out his ideas on interior design in The Bases of Design (1898), Crane was particularly concerned with getting across to the reader his thoughts

4 On the influence of Conditions in Design'.32 His argument is both a critique of, and corrective to, contemporary practice, in which he clearly felt that interior designs were being imposed with scant regard to the surroundings in which they were to be contained. It was a malaise evident for many years but not always seen at the time in negative terms by everybody. For example, T.G.Jackson, 'an eminent cathedral restorer', evidently felt that individual initiative was not wholly a bad thing, observing in 1873: 'One man designs the

65



walls, floors and roofs. ..another man designs the statues... each man knows his branch of art and is ignorant of that of the others'.33 Jackson's somewhat ambiguous wording suggests he saw 'ignorance' as a virtue, freeing each man from the inhibition of accommodating the ideas of those alongside him, with consequences that Crane and others deplored.

Offering an illustration of his floor design for the South London Gallery as a model (fíg. 1), Crane suggests designers could by all means have their flights of fancy but they should also recognise that other factors disciplined their final design; it should be mindful of the spirit of the location, its overall function and the philosophical ideas it was intended to convey:

The conditions which govern the making of a sketch or study upon paper are sufficient as tests of artistic capacity, of draughtsmanship of taste, and the other fine qualities which go to the making of a work of art, having what may be termed an independent or individual interest and value; but in adapting any kind of design to a definite ornamental purpose other conditions immediately come into play over and above those belonging to the conditions of draughtsmanship alone, conditions which at once influence the style of draughtsmanship and determine the treatment.

Also: everyone who attempts designs for different kinds of decorative purpose, for different materials, for different planes of extension, ... positions and uses, must perceive that such considerations are important factors in determining the plan, construction, and spirit of the design. 34 Whether Crane made any preparatory drawings for

his final design (fig. 1) is unknown. Although it contains many motifs from previous work it is difficult to believe that the whole idea, its various ingredients and its proportions were arrived at in one preconceived plan. This said, examination of his other graphic work suggests Crane had a strong visual memory and a disciplined way of working that enabled him to transfer his ideas from mind to paper in a decisive manner. Apart from a few drawn pencil marks to indicate the overall proportions and, as here, the occasional correction with white, most of his work is sure and deliberate in execution, rarely playing around with variations of line or proportion. The negative side of this approach might be considered to be illustrated elsewhere by the occasional heavy-handedness of his technique, something that is most evident in some of his book illustration for children.

It is instructive to note that when the floor was created from the drawing how little it differed from the original design. They are mere details, but benefit from closer analysis. The overall proportions of the design remain the same, but, for example, the somewhat stiff leaves in the border design on the original drawing

have been interpreted by Steinitz and his craftsmen in a more fluid and naturalistic way on the floor, (fig. 1). The sinuous form of the stem of the leaf is given greater prominence than the leaf itself.

With the practical application of certain design formats and motifs in mind, Crane observes that: 4 Frieze designs, ... demand horizontal extension and definite rhythm, which latter is important in all border design'.35 Such consideration is evident both in his borders for The Triumph of Labour (fig. 5) and for the floor, where they are complementary to, but not intrusive on, the overall design. It is clear that he intended the geometry of the central floor panel and its framing rectilinear structure would identify and harmonise with the proportions of the room in which it is contained (fig. 4). It also worth considering why he did not choose to create a design that covered the entire floor area. I suggest that it was because it would lose its impact, mindful perhaps of Charles Eastlake's lament on interior design that 'the secret of knowing where to stop in decorative work had still to be acquired'.36 However,

Designs for extension upon floors and pavements, where the effect of perspective distorts forms as they recede from the eye, require their own special planning and treatment, square, circular, diamond, and fish-scale plans being generally the safest, as bases, since they preserve their form in perspective better than irregular non-geometric or more complex plans.37 It is noticeable that Crane made no attempt to

discuss the detail of his own design within the text to back up his own argument, presumably thinking the illustration spoke for itself.The pattern he devised seems both to accord with and deny his argument. The strong rectilinear pattern as a base, as he suggests, holds the design firmly together, but one cannot help thinking that, while giving the design life and vitality, the lively band of dolphins and swirling interior forms of swans and burgeoning vegetation are fighting to escape.

A bravura extravaganza in scale and in its amalgam of disparate motifs, in its detail the pattern is a distillation of tried and tested ideas, already seen in his illustrations for books, graphic, wallpaper, ceramic and glass designs. Aquatic forms as motif commonly appear in classical design and, in Crane's hand, as a proposal for an overmantel panel in gesso for an unspecified location (fig. 6). In contrast to the dolphins on the floor, this spiky design uses a pair of scaly fish more commonly seen in the work of the potter Robert Wallace Martin (1843-1923). With protruding tongues and swirling seaweed they are counterposed across a large shell of clam or scallop form. In its angularity and circulating design Crane creates a dynamism of movement. Intended for a vertical surface, its vitality would have been aided by its creation three-dimensionally in gesso. An exciting design, it begs the question as to whether if taken up, it survives somewhere in situ , unrecognised.

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Fig. 8 Swan . 1877.Dado design in watercolour and gouache. 53.3 x 53.3 cm. Signed with artist's monogram. Courtesy Victoria & Albert Museum E.17-1945

Fig. 9 Mute Swan , marquetry design, flat view, Crane floor. South London Gallery

Fig. 10 Mute Swan , marquetry design, oblique view, Crane floor. South London Gallery

Crane was faced with trying to create that same sense of movement on the flat face of a floor. Markedly different in approach, it uses similar motifs but in soft, rounded and flowing forms, the radiating shell form delineates the major structural elements of the pool itself, the strong ribbing seen in the gesso design repeated in the floor centre. From here overlapping ripples move up the pool with stylised tall-stemmed aquatic plants swaying in the flowing clear central water area, these are met by the counterpoising soft-edged large scallop shell forms at each end. Fishes twist in the still water at each corner. In contrast to Crane's original drawing, the scallop on the floor is given a dramatic contrasting dark border, much enhancing its appearance. It is also noticeable that by this device the leaf and dolphin border design is seen as a contrasting ripple around it, tying the border to the centre and, while still acknowledging the rectilinear structure, breaks into it and softens its shape. This is particularly successful in the extreme corners where leaves counterpoint as in an eddy.

The pairs of facing swans (fig. 1) stem from Crane's much earlier but successful design, Swan , an 1877 dado design, planned to accompany the Iris and Kingfisher wallpaper filling, that is the middle panel between dado and frieze (fig. 8). Crane's representation in both the dado and floor design is of pairs of what appear to be intended as male (cob) mute swans facing each other in aggressive pose. However, their stance on the floor design amidst moving forms of lush and burgeoning vegetation and rippling water suggests that Crane is taking the idea a stage further. The extreme arching of the swans lowered necks is a progression beyond the posturing in the dado design. Crane seems to be suggesting nature not simply as a passive subject for a decorative pattern but presents to us a narrative, an allegory of life itself in all its vitality.

In relation to Crane's advice on perspective, quoted above, it is instructive to compare the small scale dado design (fig. 8) intended for a flat vertical surface, with the large floor motif seen directly above (fig. 9) and as

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when most usually seen, at a tangent from eye level (fig. 10). The different dynamics of wall and floor are self evident, making Crane's point about the need to be alive to the effect of perspective to both enhance or distort an image when seen in different planes. The same effect can be seen in the spirited intertwining of dolphin and leaf forms in the border (fig. 11).

As originally conceived, Cranes design for the pond incorporated a blank panel on which to stand a marble plinth (fig. 1). This was both a foundation stone to the opening of the gallery and a memorial to Elizabeth Rossiter (1836-1888), wife of the gallery founder, who had been much involved in taking the poor children of south London for holidays and outings in the country. Unfortunately unspecified problems with the floor arose soon after the gallery's opening in May 1891, resulting in closure for two months of repairs.38 The problems may have been due to the weight of the memorial but were more probably caused by lack of time to allow the floor to settle before the impact of many feet. Either way, the decision was taken then or soon after to remove the memorial, altering the design to include a panel incorporating the words The source of Art is in the life of a people (fig. 12).

The wording is curious. Ruskinian in tone, 'it is

Fig. 11 Dolphin and Aquatic Leaf border design, Crane floor. South London Gallery

imbued with the same kind of principles espoused by John Ruskin', whom Crane admired, but is not by him.39 A former resident in nearby Denmark Hill, Ruskin was greatly interested in the establishment of the gallery, giving it a representative selection of his drawings. When first built, the main gallery was named in his honour. For Ruskin, 'art held a position of central importance in life; it was not to be regarded as an ornament but as a force of quasi-religious strength, revealing divine attributes in visible form. Art offered a chance of redemption'.40 In The Queen of the Air (1869), in an observation similar to that used on the floor, Ruskin had declared 'For all good art is the natural utterance of its own people in its own day'.41 Crane was familiar with this book, incorporating an illustration entitled The Queen of the Air in his own Mrs Mundy at Home (1875). Not intended for children, this book contained 'all sorts of characters and subjects, astronomical, political, social, with satirical or humorous allusions to current events and notabilities of the time'.42 If The Queen of the Air as depicted by Crane has an allusion to Ruskin, like many of the other illustrations it is today unclear.

Although there is no supporting documentation to confirm Crane's involvement in the wording it seems certain that, drawing inspiration from Ruskin, he himself devised the new floor panel. If so, Alan Crawford thought it revealed Crane as not having had:

a lot of sharpness and rigour as a thinker. ... it demonstrates [much] of what there is in Crane s ... rather bland. . .writing and presumably therefore his thinking ... reflecting accepted views. Intended as "a kind of uplifting, upraising phrase" it lacks logic. He appears to be referring to the people ofWalworth and Peckham, the poor ... by this phrase "The People", but if the source of art is in the life of the people [here] then there is no need to bring an art gallery: ...there is a certain illogicality of the notion. It can be played with intellectually but shown to be [not thought through, but] I think [Crane's] like that. 43

In mitigation, there may be an alternative explanation. Mottoes as decoration were much in vogue in the 1890s. M. H. Baillie Scptt (1865-1945) discusses them at length in his Houses and Gardens (1906) and this closely parallels Crane's thinking in The Bases of Design (1898). Whether Baillie Scott visited the gallery is unknown, but if his text is read with the function and socialist origins of the gallery in mind, his argument as a manifesto for what Crane was trying to convey is persuasive:

A room should express in its decoration ... something of the individuality and characteristics of its occupants, and that its general aspect should inform us in an inarticulate way of the kind of person who lives there. [However,] when decoration becomes articulate in the writing ... it affords a . . . revelation of the character and tastes

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Fig. 12 The Source of Art is in the Life of a People, central panel, Crane floor. South London Gallery

of its owner. ...such a form of expression ...helps us to understand something of the ideas and conceptions of life which a man is prepared to subscribe to. But the instinctive reticence which makes us unwilling to blurt out our thoughts to every acquaintance may suggest the advisability of making these writings somewhat cryptic in their character.44 It is pertinent to mention that beside exhibiting

his ideas on architectural design on the floor and an example of his graphic work, Crane took care to ensure that the rest of his oeuvre was also on display, lent by himself and others. These included a large unsold oil, Pluto carrying off Persephone , probably the Fate of Persephone (1878), sold to Karlsruhe Museum in 1902. It was subsequently sold to a Berlin dealer in 1923 and apparently lost. In fact bought by Brian Hooker, 'an author, librettist and professor of rhetoric at Yale University, best known for his translation of Cyrano de Bergerac ', it was intended for a new home on Fishers Island. The house was not built and the picture lent instead to Old Lyme Center School and forgotten. Recently discovered at the school by young Bingham Bryant, aged 10, transfixed by its ethereal qualities', it was exhibited in New York in April 2002 and returned to England for sale by Christies on 12 June, where it achieved the record sum for a work by Crane of ,£424, 650, including buyers premium ((fig- 13). 45

Crane s eight original drawings to Shakespeare's The

Tempest (published 1893) were lent for exhibition by Rossiter, who appears to have acquired them from the artist. Crane himself in 1895 lent his original drawings for A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys , published in 1892, 46 and in the same year Messrs Jeffrey & Co. had given 'Paper-hangings for the Side Gallery'.47 These included Crane's designs La Margarete (1876), Woodnotes (1886), Peacock Garden (c .1889), Corona Vitae (1890), Meadow (1896) and The Orange Tree (1902).

Octavia Hill (1838-1912) was at this time establishing her Settlement in nearby Red Cross Street, Southwark and wanted the hall decorated. Probably as a result of his involvement with the gallery, at her request Crane drew up an ambitious decorative scheme of a series of colourful mural designs of heroic deeds. These were to be completed as a collaborative effort with others as oil on a plaster ground on large panels. The collaborative support failed and the work inevitably fell back onto Crane. Histrionic and worthy rather than visionary, the ideas built on Crane's earlier interests but were somewhat outmoded by this period, and one suspects that, as with his collaboration on the South London Art Gallery, the scheme appealed to his socialist interests, but in this later instance not necessarily in its design remit. Competing with Crane's other commitments, it was only partly completed.48

Given that both his services as a designer and that all the works by him on show were available for sale, it is not unreasonable to suggest his contribution can be

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judged as both philanthropic and commercially astute. However, whatever the critical judgment of his artist contemporaries, as here exhibited to the people of South London, the impact of Crane's work as expressions of 'contemporary' design must have been on a scale similar to that of Habitat at its inception. It would have been seen as new and exciting.

So what was and is the legacy of Crane and his colleague members of the founding Gallery Council? The last word lies with C. Lewis Hind, reporter for the Pall Mall and Globe. He had no difficulty in recognising the ethos, the root from which expectations could grow.49 Reviewing the 1922 ceramics exhibition he wrote that when he arrived:

Standing around were potters, identified by their clayey blouses, pupils [of] the largest pottery class in London. Inscribed on the floor of the gallery so that anyone may read it ... are these words: "The source of Art is in the Life of a People." Camberwell obeys this commandment.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Exposure of a subject in an exhibition can bring

new insights and discoveries. It was a particular pleasure to hear Alan Crawford's considered thoughts in a talk to the Friends of Dulwich Gallery on Crane the man and his thinking during the exhibition. These insights have led me in this article to consider more deeply the motivators in Crane's life that he brought to the design for the floor. I am aware from Crane's Reminiscences of his support for socialist ideals but it was pleasing to see confirmatory new material on his active involvement brought to the gallery by a relative of Edwin Nevili (see note 8), and for permission to quote them here for the first time. My thanks also to Anthony Crane and the V & A for permission to use illustrations from their collections.

Christopher Jordan (BA) is Keeper of the Permanent Collection at the South London Gallery and currently writing his thesis at Camberwell College of Art entitled 'Ernest Marsh: a study in private collecting in England in the early 20th Century'.

Fig. 13 The Fate of Persephone, (1878) oil on canvas. 121.3 x 266.1cm. Courtesy Christies, London

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NOTES

1 Walter Crane, An Artist's Reminiscences: with 123 illustrations by the Author, London, Methuen & Co. 1907 p.358. 2 Greg Smith, 'Socialism and the "unity of public sentiment", Greg Smith and Sarah'Hyde (eds.), Walter Crane 1845-Í9Í5, London, Lund Humphries in association with The Whitworth Art Gallery, University of Manchester, 1989 p.21. 3 Walter Crane: London Open House 2001, South London Gallery Exhibition 11 September -7 October 2001. 4 Walter Crane, The Claims of Decorative Art, London, Lawrence and Bullen, 1892 p.19. 5 Ibid. 6 Smith, Ibid 7 Quoted below the unattributed motto 'Work in faith, faith in work', on the cover of the Catalogue of the Works of Art, South London Fine Art Gallery, Reading Room & Lecture Hall, 1894. William Rossiter, the founder of the gallery, was a pupil of Maurice. Carlyle and Maurice are depicted standing together talking in Ford Madox Brown's painting Work, 1852-53, Manchester City Galleries. 8 During the 2001 Crane exhibition a selection of letters between Walter Crane and Edwin J. (Ted) Nevili was brought to the gallery. These included a letter of thanks from Walter Crane 13 Holland Street, Feb. 24, 1903 for undated amended draft to Prime Minister, signed by Walter Crane, E.P.Asquith, Edwin J. Nevili and N [?] H. Grant. Starting as a Post Office messenger, Nevili became well known for his later work within the union movement. Private Collection. 9 Ibid. Letter from S.G.Hobson, Hastings House, Norfolk Street, London W.C. to Crane, Sept 25th, 1903. 10 Crane, Reminiscences p.354. 11 Crane, Claims p.79. 12 Smith, Ibid. p.22. 13 Joanna Banham, 'Walter Crane and the Decoration of the Artistic Interior', Greg Smith and Sarah Hyde (eds.), Walter Crane Í845-19Í5, London, Lund Humphries in association with The Whitworth Art Gallery, University of Manchester, 1989 p.48-57. 14 Crane, Reminiscences p.358. 15 Ibid. Crane had known Leighton for many years. Leighton bought two of Crane's landscapes in the 1860s (p. 107) and they met socially in Rome p. 149. 16 Crane, Reminiscences p.358. 17 Greg Smith, 'Developing a Public Language of Art', Greg Smith and Sarah Hyde (eds.), Walter Crane 1845-191 5, London, Lund Humphries in association with The Whitworth Art Gallery, University of Manchester, 1989 p. 13. 18 Alan Crawford, Walter Crane: A Life, Lecture at the South London Gallery, 21 September 2001 19 Crane, Ibid. 20 Nicola Smith, 'A Brief Account of the Origins of the South London Art Gallery', Giles Waterfield, (ed.) Art For The People, Dulwich, Dulwich Picture Gallery, 1994, p.ll. 21 J.P.Emslie, 'Recollections of Ruskin' Working Men's College Journal, n.d.vol. 7 p. 180. John Ruskin, a nearby resident in Denmark Hill, Camberwell, supported Rossiter's ideas. He had also taught at the Working Men's College, conducting a drawing class from the autumn of 1854 until May 1858, the spring of 1860 and occasionally for a year or so after. Also, see William Rossiter, A Summary of the History of the South London Art Gallery, Library and Lecture Hall from its Foundation in 1868, a Quarter of a Century Ago. 1893, p. 2

22 Smith, ibid, pp.12-13. 23 Weekly Notes on Art , Literature, and Science... lectures for the Season, 1894, the floor noted as laid by Steinitz. Catalogue of the Works of Art... September 1st, 1895, listed as the gift of Messrs Steinitz, worth £ioo. 24 Post Office Trades Directory 1884, Guildhall Library. Parquet is defined as flooring made of thin layers of hardwood laid on a wooden under- floor. The name is French in origin, first noted in the seventeenth century. Marquetry is an area of wooden flooring inlaid with wood of contrasting colours to form a pattern. For fuller details see note 33 below. 25 Letter 9 January 2002, from The Royal Archives, The Royal Collection Trust, Windsor Castle, SL4 INJ 26 Blanch, William Harnett, Parish of Camberwell, (1877), E.W.Allen, London p.304-5. Camberwell Hall is now a private house. 27 45 Grove Lane, Post Office Trades Directory 1888/9, Guildhall Library 28 A second lecture hall constructed later at the rear was severely damaged by a land mine 16 April 1941 and subsequently demolished. 29 The only reference to the oak flooring: A Note on the South London Gallery, reopening exhibition, 3 December 1949. 30 Ibid. Here called the Lily Pond, Crane does not appear to have given his design a title. 31 Now Leighton House and the Russell-Cotes Museum. 32 Crane, Walter, The Bases of Design , (1898) Bell, London Chapter IV. pp. 124-128. illust. opp. p. 127 33 Referred to in: Fawcett,Jane (2001), Historic Floors: Their Care and Conservation, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, p.ll 34 Crane ibid. 35 Crane ibid. 36 Fawcett, ibid. p. 12 37 Crane, ibid. 38 Smith ibid, p.l 1 39 I am indebted to Steven Wildman of Lancaster University for this information. 40 Waterfield, Giles (1994), Art for the People, Dulwich Picture Gallery, London p.30 41 Wildman ibid. Ruskin, John (1905), The Queen of the Air, The Works of John Ruskin, Library Edition, Vol. XIX, eds. Cook, E.T. &Wedderburn, Alexander, George Allen, London, p.418 42 Crane, Reminiscences p. 159. 43 Crawford, Ibid. 44 Baillie-Scott, M.H. (1906), Houses and Gardens: Arts and Crafts Interiors, London, Reprint. Woodbridge: Antique Collectors' Club, 1995 p. 85 45 Crane, Reminiscences p. 188. Weekly Notes ibid. 1894 p.6 no. 206.Wilkie, Angus (2002), 'Crane Spotting', Christie's Magazine, March/April 2002, p.78-81 46 Crane, Walter (1893), Eight Illustrations to Shakespeare's Tempest Designed by Walter Crane, Dent & Co., London. Hawthorne, Nathaniel(1892) A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys, with Sixty Illustrations by Walter Crane, Osgood Mcllvline & Co., London. Illustrations to Hawthorne's 1851 text. Whereabouts of both sets of illustrations unknown. 47 Catalogue of the Works of Art in the Gallery, September lst,1895.p.l6 48 Crane, Reminiscences p. 359. 49 Hind, C. Lewis 'Honouring the Potter, Camberwell leads the Way', Pall Mall & Globe , 31 May 1922.

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