This curtain, made from a woven wool and silk furnishing textiles, is one of the few documented designs by Christopher Dresser. One of Dresser's earliest commercial designs, this shows the influence of the work of two earlier British designers, with its traditional geometric frameworks (following A. W. N. Pugin) enclosing stylised floral patterns derived from Eastern sources (Owen Jones).
The combination of silk and wool in this textile provided qualities that were much admired by designers and decorators associated with the Aesthetic Movement. The wool gives warmth and a luxurious draping quality, while the silk provides the pattern with colourful highlights.
This textile was exhibited in the London International Exhibition of 1871 and was illustrated in the <i>Art Journal</i> catalogue supplement for the exhibition. J. W. Ward & C. Ward, the firm that manufactured this textile, was one of the best-known 19th century British manufacturers of high-quality woven furnishings. They exhibited (under the name of J.W. Ward) at the 1851 Great Exhibition, where they earned an honorable mention, and continued to be a leader in the field, using designs by many of the leading freelance designers of the day.