Victorian Crossley Carpet Mosaic, Edward VII c.1860

We have for sale a real piece of Yorkshire industrial history, an unusual Crossley carpet mosaic made between 1860 and 1879 by the well-known carpet manufacturer Crossley & Son of Halifax. Carpet mosaics were the invention of a German refugee (Schubert) developed a means of reproducing large numbers of identical pictures manufactured from worsted mohair threads. This was achieved by arranging coloured worsted fibres of mohair in a compressed block in a frame such that at the ends of the block a picture was formed. A piece of linen was then glued to the end of the block and a 4mm thick slice was cut from the block with a guillotine. This slice along with its associated linen backing was then mounted as a picture. the beauty of this method was the picture generated at one end was a mirror image of the picture created at the other end. (see Crossley Mosaics by R. A. Innes, 1974). This particular example manufactured from threads of multiple colours depicts Edward VII as a child holding a hat in front of a rather plush Victorian upholstered chair. This carpet mosaic measures approximately 24.5 inches (62.2cm) by 20.75 inches (52.7cm) including the frame and is in a good condition. The mosaic has just been professionally re-framed, whilst retaining the original back board. Crossley only made carpet mosaics for a short period of time between 1860 and 1879, meaning that although mass produced, they are now rather rare. A large exhibition of Crossley carpet mosaics can be seen in the Lauriston Castle Museum in Edinburgh.