All three fabrics were printed in Lancashire. Shirley Craven trained at the Royal College of Art, and became colour and design consultant for Hull Traders in 1959. Over the next 20 years she designed 43 patterns for the company (including Kaplan), as well as commissioning designers such as Althea McNish to work for the firm. McNish, born in Trinidad, achieved a high profile as one of the first black textile designers of the post-war era. The bold, colourful prints epitomised by the work of these two women became a hallmark of the company. The nearby Lancashire firm of David Whitehead Fabrics also created innovative textiles in the 1960s, including the anonymous CP 6003 print inspired by the paintings of the Abstract Expressionists.

Artists include

• Shirley Craven
• Althea McNish
• Hull Traders
• David Whitehead Ltd

Provenance

Lesley Jackson. Acquired directly from the estate of a wholesale textile merchant in Newcastle.