The word Georgian is more than just a label for this period in British history - it has come to signify the design and decorative arts of an era regarded by many as the pinnacle of elegance and refinement. But the reputation enjoyed by designers like Thomas Chippendale, Robert Adam and Thomas Sheraton was hard won. At the beginning of the Georgian period, Britain was not a trendsetter in design and the decorative arts. The work of British designers and craftspeople earned international acclaim only gradually during the Georgian years. This growing international respect went hand-in-hand with Britain's rise to prominence as a world power and the transformations in production methods associated with the Industrial Revolution. Lavishly illustrated and unmatched in its coverage, this book explores design and the decorative arts from a number of points of view. It assesses their place in the wider history of Georgian Britain. It examines style, the question of how things looked. It asks who led taste; who decided what was to be considered beautiful, fashionable and desirable. It looks at how fashionable things - from houses to clothing - were used. It asks what was new, examining new pr

Author Biography

Michael Snodin is Head of the Designs Section of the V&A's Word & Image Department. His publications include Sir William Chambers (V&A, 1996) and Carl and Karin Larsson: Creators of the Swedish Style (co-author, V&A, 1997). John Styles is Head of Postgraduate Studies at the V&A, with particular responsibility for the V&A/Royal College of Art History of Design course. He has published widely on manufacturing, consumption and design in eighteenth-century England, and was historical advisor to the V&A's British Galleries team.