Rebecca Crompton was Head of Crafts, Dress and Embroidery at Croydon School of Art during the 1920s. Her work challenged the then practice of embroidery: one that promoted technical precision and designs based on historic pieces, to the extent of imitating the faded colour of 17th Century needlework. Crompton’s works showed an innovative approach to design and material combining different types and weights of textiles, machine and hand stitches using silks and metallic threads. In 1936 she published A Plea for Freedom (Dryad Press) in which she sought to 'dispel certain ideas on design, especially as it is taught in some schools, and to encourage more liveliness and vitality in the work done.'

Further reading:
Beryl Dean and Pamela Pavitt. Rebecca Crompton and Elizabeth Grace Thomson Pioneers of Stitchery in the 1930s, Beryl Dean, London 1996

 

Glossary

  • Design

    The arrangement of elements or details in an artefact or a work of art.