NBM Scarf Etoile Tile Pattern

Among the smallest and most visually engaging works in the National Building Museum’s permanent collection are dozens of late 19^th-century American and English ceramic tiles. A number of these beautiful pieces was on display in Cityscapes Revealed: Highlights from the Collection, and one of them served as inspiration for an offering in the Museum Shop’s expanding line of customized products. The design of the textured silk-and-wool scarf is a repeating floral and geometric pattern fashioned from the tile.

The tile was manufactured around 1885 by Minton’s China Works, located in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Wedgewood, Royal Doulton, and Minton, to name a few of the most famous English pottery manufacturers, were all founded and located in Stoke, which remains the center of the English earthenware industry. Founded in 1793 by Thomas Minton, the company was well known for its tableware and ornamental porcelains before embarking on tile production in 1845.

scarf detail