Clarke & Clarke Marianne Fabric
Marianne is a collection that takes its inspiration from Marianne North, the pioneering Victorian painter who travelled the world solo, documenting tropical flora and fauna in an unprecedented and contemporary way.
Her work resulted in a library of framed botanical paintings, which is now on public display in central London.
Influenced by North’s story, the Clarke & Clarke design team have created an exciting collection of eclectic fabrics and wallpapers, incorporating confident hand painted techniques and a bold colour story.
Transitional, attractive and diverse, the collection’s seven impactful prints, weaves and embroideries provide a variety of desirable designs, tailored to suit all interior styles.
Designs Available:
Artus
Bracken
Lilum
Northia
Palacio
Regale
Sunforest
About Marianne North
Marianne North travelled the world painting plants, people and places. Defying Victorian conventions, she left an extraordinary legacy behind.
From might redwoods in California to pitcher plants in Borneo, she painted plants great and small across the globe.
She turned her back on the life expected of her as a Victorian woman. Instead she made it her mission to paint as many plants in faraway places she could.
When Marianne North for 26 years old, she visited Kew Gardens with her father and was inspired by what she saw.
On one visit, she was particularly struck by a bunch of flowering Amherstia nobilis, the first to flower in England given to her by Kew’s Director Sir William Hooker.
This ignited her passion to see the tropics for herself, and she became fascinated with plants and the natural world.
She had a close relationship with her father, and they went on trips around Europe together.
It was common Victorian belief that women shouldn’t travel alone without a husband or male chaperone. The lies of most Victorian women in the middle and upper classes revolved around the home, where they could look after their husbands and children.
Between 1871 and 1885 Marianne travelled extensively, almost always on her own. She visited 15 countries in 14 years and painted the people, places and plants she saw.
Marianne didn’t follow the traditional approach to botanical art.
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