1760 Anna Catharina Dufström - Blue

French Floral Print, mid-18th century

During the years 1740–1760, blue backgrounds became especially fashionable in France. Textile printers had perfected the technique of dyeing cotton with indigo and madder in several stages, producing these deep blue fields adorned with red and beige floral clusters.

The gently winding, diagonal composition is characteristic of mid-century French design — lively, asymmetrical, and full of rhythm rather than strict order. The red serpentine stripe serves as a decorative structure, while the flowers — roses, tulips, and carnations — reflect the Rococo era’s love of nature and exotic motifs.

Based on its color palette, pattern, and graceful layout, this textile is most likely a French indienne from the mid-1700s. Such fabrics were printed in centers like Jouy, Marseille, and Nantes, where imported indigo and madder produced rich, enduring hues. Compared to their English counterparts, French prints of this period were lighter, more fluid, and designed with a distinct sense of decorative movement.