METAL
Where Dresser differed most from his contemporaries was in his designs for metalware. He was determined that cost should not place products "beyond the reach of those who might otherwise enjoy them". His designs were simple, based on geometric forms, and almost devoid of ornament. He paid great attention to the function of the objects he designed and had a clear understanding of the processes and skills needed to produce them. He recognised the opportunities provided by industrialisation and did not subscribe to the theory that commercial and aesthetic values were incompatible. Unfortunately for him, the advocates of the opposing point of view had a much greater influence on design, and the philosophies of men like John Ruskin, William Morris and the members of the Aesthetic Movement prevailed, and after Dresser's death in 1904 this area of his work was almost totally overlooked. It was not until the 1930s that there was revived interest in his metalware designs and they have been compared to the products of the Bauhaus and those of the Art Nouveau period. Much more recently they have featured in exhibitions of the work of the Italian design house, L'atelier Alessi.
Dresser not only designed an impressive number of articles for the preparation and serving of hot food and drink such as teapots, kettles, soup tureens and ladles, tea and coffee sets and egg-coddlers, but also toast racks, cruet sets and trays. Other domestic items such as candleholders, ewers and jugs were part of his work too.
One of the firms for which Dresser designed was Elkingtons and in one of their pattern books for 1869 there is a soup tureen which has the simple shape, straight legs and angular handles which were a feature of his metalware designs. It was made from electroplated silver, which was an inexpensive material, and displays the functionalism which was always an important element in Dresser's approach to design.
It has been said that some of Dresser's metalwork designs were copies of Japanese goods which he had seen featured at the International Exhibitions which brought together the work of many countries. These extensive exhibitions were held regularly in different capital cities in Europe and America during the second half of the 19th century and gave the general public as well as designers the opportunity to examine what was in current production. What the public admired and what the critics praised did not always coincide. Whilst there is no doubt that he admired Japanese metalwork, and some of his tea and coffee sets are decorated with incised Japanese crests, Dresser had the ability, perhaps to a greater degree than any of his contemporaries, to absorb ideas and influences from other times and cultures and to produce designs uniquely his own.
Although Dresser was producing designs eminently suitable for mass production they did not find favour at the time, being considered too radical and even eccentric for Victorian taste.
GLASS and METAL
Dresser also produced designs for objects which combined glass and metal such as decanters, drinking glasses, condiment sets and cruets. These exemplify his idea that a simple form, perfectly suited to its task needs no adornment.
This modern example of oil and vinegar bottles, products of L'atelier Alessi, demonstrates the same principle. The lids open automatically when the bottles are tipped for pouring and then close when they are set down.
