Craft Fairs
In the inter-war years, Peach visited Germany and developed relationships with artists, educators, dealers, and museums. In 1914, he visited the Werkbund exhibition in Cologne, whose members aimed to promote the co-operation of art, crafts, and industry. In 1919, he went to the Hamburg School of Arts and Crafts, where he collected some woven textiles made by students.
From 1920 onwards, Peach made an annual trip to the Leipziger Messe, a large international trade fair in Leipzig, Germany, to collect crafts from around the world for the Dryad Handicrafts collection. In 1927 Peach curated the British section at the Europäisches Kunst Gewerbe, a European Arts and Crafts exhibition at the Grassi Museum in Leipzig.
A selection of German basketry from the Dryad Collection.
At a time of growing nationalism, Peach’s display of British crafts at this international event was viewed as a great success, and was widely reported by local and national newspapers.
The baskets displayed here were made in Bavaria, and were purchased during these German visits. Their geometric and coloured patterns were created using a technique called coiling. This involves wrapping raffia material around a central core, in a spiral motion, forming both the basket and its intricate design as the material is woven.