Arts and Crafts Movement

The Arts and Crafts Movement was started by English publisher William Pickering. During the Industrial Revolution, the quality of book design and production went down. Pickering had a passion for design and that led him to commission new woodblock ornaments, initials, and illustrations. He also maintained control over the design, type selection, illustrations, and all other visual considerations. Because Pickering's printers were under his close supervision, a cordial working relationship between printer, publisher, and designer were established in the Arts and Crafts movement. The movement also led to the revival of Gothic forms and the Caslon type. Artists during that time also incorporated Renaissance and Japanese design (especially of botanical and other natural forms) into their works. Their goal was to create beautiful objects so that workers could find joy in their work again.

One artist during the movement that I'd admired was Selwyn Image, who was a member of the Century Guild. The work that I liked the best was a woodcut from The Hobby Horse, a magazine dedicated to the visual arts that could be found on page 170 in the text book (figure 10-11).

Another artist that I'd admired was Charles R. Ashbee who founded the Guild of Handicraft. One of his works was the Essex House Press emblem seen on page 176 (figure 10-21) in the textbook.

Here is something I found that is an example of the styles of the Arts and Crafts movement: