Unknown Maker, English

During the Victorian era (1837-1901), nature provided an irresistible source of design inspiration. As numerous developments in science seeped into all aspects of daily life, from the popular press to such seminal works as Darwin’s On the Origin of Species (1859), designers of the day came to see the natural world as a boundless design resource. Botanist, designer, and writer Christopher Dresser was also a key influence in the engagement of nature in design, arguing that direct observation from nature was essential to “good design” processes. This photo-printed sweatshirt by British artist Damien Hirst illustrates a continued fascination with the natural world. Known for such unique practices as suspending animal carcasses in formaldehyde and affixing actual butterflies to his works on paper, Hirst captures the essence of an animal much as a Victorian collector or naturalist might, and is equally drawn to both the spectacle of nature and the science of the specimen. Women of the Victorian era were often portrayed in satirical works as caged animals, akin to pet birds and butterflies, a reflection of both their social standing and their restrictive undergarments, such as corsets and crinolines; with this contemporary women’s sweatshirt Hirst captures the butterfly photographically on a sportswear garment - a stark contrast to the design of Victorian costume.