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Toast Rack
Hukin & Heath; Christopher Dresser, 1881
This contemporary-looking rack is built from simply produced
electroplated silver elements. 7 sets of uprights sit on an arched frame, bun feet on each corner.
Christopher Dresser’s designs were radical, stylish, spare, and surprisingly modern. Quite unlike the highly ornate Victorian fashions of the day. Who was he?
Born in Glasgow in 1834, Dresser was one of the first industrial designers of the modern era. He was also a trained botanist and a Government emissary to Japan.
He became a household name, working with over 50 manufacturers to produce an enormous variety of reasonably priced consumer products.
Though radical at the time, some of Dresser’s designs are still produced today by companies like Alessi. Can you see his influence in other household items?