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Exquisite patterns and surface ornamentation were an integral part of the aesthetics of the late Victorian era. In America, these developments were incorporated into the themes of national expositions and artistic movements, as cottage industries grew and productivity in the decorative arts flourished. The last three decades of the 19th century saw a change in sensibility that resulted in new stylistic approaches in American decorative arts, a departure from the previous era of Rococo and Renaissance Revival excess. Shapes became more angular, smoother and less flamboyant. The popular carvings and deep modeling of earlier years disappeared as ornamentation became more linear and lighter in appearance. Decoration focused on the surface with rich and elegant patterns adorning furniture, objects of every sort, and architectural and interior decorations. This artistic reawakening was prompted by the effects of the Industrial Revolution on contemporary design.
This new attitude, with its focus on ornament and the decorative, was later referred to as the Aesthetic Movement, but it also encompassed the early Arts and CraftsMovement as well. The purpose was to bring a refined sensibility and components of“good taste” to the domestic interior. Art and good taste not only denoted good character,but also could be used to induce proper moral conduct and actions, thereby contributing to the betterment of society. This placed a heavy burden on designers/decorators as wellas on women as keepers of the home. Americans drew inspiration from the writing andwork of English artists. This was a period of great eclecticism. Tastes ranged from theModern Gothic through the Persian, Greek and Islamic, to the Japanese, and with morethan a nod to Mother Nature. Yet, regardless of the influence, surface pattern reignedsupreme. English reformers dictated that ornament should be derived from nature, andpattern should be flat and stylized. Forms were accentuated by colored outlines, or oftenwith touches of gold. The emphasis was on art and on development of a refinedsensibility. It was all a matter of taste.