Hidden Hands: Invisible Workers in Industrial England September 1, 2021–January 9, 2022
Worcester Porcelain Manufactory, gilding attributed to Charlotte Hampton, Covered Dessert Tureen and Ladle from the “Bostock” Service, c. 1785–90, soft-paste porcelain, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Rienzi Collection, Museum purchase funded by Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III.
Denis Diderot, L’Encyclopédie, ou Dictionnaire Raisonné des Sciences, des Arts et des Métiers, plate 419, c. 1750–75, silver-plated, from A Diderot Pictorial Encyclopedia of Trades and Industry: Manufacturing and the Technical Arts, 1959, Dover Publications, New York.
Rienzi, the MFAH house museum for European decorative arts, presents special exhibitions twice a year.
The introduction of new materials and technological innovation in the 18th century sparked an increased demand for luxury objects and useful wares made of ceramics, glass, and metals. These technologies and techniques allowed manufacturers to create wares to appeal to a broader and more diverse audience.
The Industrial Revolution affected not only how objects were made but also the organization of labor in workshops and factories. Behind famous names such as Josiah Wedgwood and Worcester Porcelain was a diverse, yet mostly unseen and nameless workforce composed of large numbers of women and children who were involved in various aspects of production and manufacture.
Hidden Hands: Invisible Workers in Industrial England focuses on the many hands involved in the production of these wares. The exhibition also challenges established ideas about craftsmanship and artistic authorship.
Related Virtual Event
Biennial Rienzi Symposium
Hidden Hands: Untold Stories of the Object
November 6, 2021
Hidden Hands: Invisible Workers in Industrial England / September 1, 2021–January 9, 2022
This exhibition is organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.