Page from Festons und Dekorative Gruppen
1893
A collotype print showing a decorative arrangement of sunflowers and two birds, made to translate a natural motif into an ornamental design for publication.
At first glance the frame is filled with a tapestry of tall sunflower heads and broad leaves—silvery grays and deep blacks forming a rhythmic pattern interrupted by the frozen flutter of two birds and a pale circular disc that acts like a compositional halo.
Produced for a 19th‑century pattern book, this image exemplifies how collotype photography supplied designers with reproducible, nature‑based motifs, helping photography move beyond documentation into applied ornament and the visual vocabulary of the decorative arts.
Medium
Collotype
Dimensions
11 9/16 × 8 7/16" (29.3 × 21.4 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
The Family of Man Fund
Accession
184.1989.84
Palette
Exhibitions
