Papers and textiles of Sylvia Chalmers

A collection of work by textile designer Sylvia Chalmers, comprising Glasgow School of Art student material; work-related designs and sketches; magazine clippings; calligraphy samples; a programme for an exhibition titled "A centenary exhibition to celebrate the founding of the Glasgow Society of Lady Artists in 1882"; photographs; textiles such as aprons, tote bags, placemats, tea towels, kerchiefs, curtains and a banner; and textile design samples.

The Scottish designer Sylvia Chalmers was a contemporary of Lucienne Day. Chalmers was a student at the Glasgow School of Art in the late 1940s. She moved to London in 1951, where she designed fabrics for Heal's. She won three medals for her textiles designs shown at the Milan Triennale in 1954. In 1955 she founded her textile printing company in Scotland, Tuar Fabrics, which she ran for over 20 years, often selling her textile designs for fashion use to Elizabeth Eaton.

In 1976 Chalmers purchased Blacknest House at Thornhill in Dumfriesshire and converted the out-buildings into a design and production complex. In recent years twelve of Chalmers' textile designs from the 1950s and 60s have been digitally reproduced by the Centre for Advanced Textiles at Glasgow School of Art, making her designs available to buy once more. Her influential and distinctive designs have been discussed in several recent publications including "V&A Pattern: The Fifties" (2009) and "Twentieth Century Pattern Design" (2011).

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Donated in 2009.

The Scottish designer Sylvia Chalmers was a contemporary of Lucienne Day. Chalmers was a student at the Glasgow School of Art in the late 1940s. She moved to London in 1951, where she designed fabrics for Heal's. She won three medals for her textiles designs shown at the Milan Triennale in 1954. In 1955 she founded her textile printing company in Scotland, Tuar Fabrics, which she ran for over 20 years, often selling her textile designs for fashion use to Elizabeth Eaton.

In 1976 Chalmers purchased Blacknest House at Thornhill in Dumfriesshire and converted the out-buildings into a design and production complex. In recent years twelve of Chalmers' textile designs from the 1950s and 60s have been digitally reproduced by the Centre for Advanced Textiles at Glasgow School of Art, making her designs available to buy once more. Her influential and distinctive designs have been discussed in several recent publications including "V&A Pattern: The Fifties" (2009) and "Twentieth Century Pattern Design" (2011).

There are no known copies of this material.

* Collection listed by Kimberly Sommerville, Archives Assistant, c2010. Imported from Excel spreadsheet and edited by Michelle Kaye, Archives and Collections Assistant, October 2012.
* Catalogue imported into Archon software and edited by Michelle Kaye, Archon Project Officer, June 2014.
* Catalogue exported from Archon and imported into AtoM during system migration, 2018-2019.

Finding Aid Authors: The Glasgow School of Art Archives and Collections.

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No related material.

Published

GB 1694 DC 068

GB 1694