Unreformed: Wallpaper and Design Diversity at the Whitworth

Creative Tourist
Unreformed: Wallpaper and Design Diversity at the Whitworth
lithographic poster representing salesmen and customer in a wallpaper showroom, 1899-1901. J Morgan and Co. Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Unreformed: Wallpaper and Design Diversity at The Whitworth, Manchester 17 August 2019 — 5 July 2020 Entrance is free

In the middle of the 19th century, wallpaper design suddenly became diverse. English manufacturers began to excel at the quick production of affordable wallpapers. There was also an ever-increasing availability of things from abroad. This resulted in a dramatic explosion of choice. Design Reform was a movement that wanted to control the quality of English design. There was enough concern about the higher standard of foreign things that the debate made its way to parliament.

Unreformed: Wallpaper and Design Diversity at the Whitworth looks at how powerful the voices of the people who called for Design Reform were. These (mostly male) designers, writers and MPs had a lasting effect on the way museums and art schools taught about good design. Ultimately the exhibition serves as a celebration of their failure to control the diversity of design that was available.

Unreformed: Wallpaper and Design Diversity at The Whitworth, Manchester 17 August 2019 — 5 July 2020 Entrance is free

What's on at The Whitworth

OUTDOOR ART CLUB AT THE WHITWORTH
Until
ChildrensManchester
Outdoor Art Club at The Whitworth

Enjoy fun and creative activities designed to encourage your little ones to play freely in the fresh air, while exploring nature and the outdoors with family and friends.

free entry

Where to go near Unreformed: Wallpaper and Design Diversity at the Whitworth

Manchester
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The Giving Tree
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The Giving Tree

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Pankhurst Centre
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Manchester
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Manchester Academy music venue on Oxford Road Manchester.
Manchester
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Christie’s Bistro, Manchester. Courtesy Christie’s Bistro
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Christie’s Bistro

This wood-panelled former science library – part of a cluster of neo-Gothic buildings designed for the University of Manchester by Alfred Waterhouse (he of Manchester Town Hall and London’s Natural History Museum fame) – has a wonderfully bookish interior that turns lunch into something of an event.

Whitworth Park, Manchester
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Park
Whitworth Park

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Cafe at the Museum
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Café or Coffee Shop
The Cafe
at the Museum

Manchester Museum’s cafe is run by the people behind award-winning cafe Teacup Kitchen. The menu features home-baked cakes, the finest loose leaf teas and breakfast, as well as a wide selection of mains and meals for kids.

What's on: Exhibitions

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