Play Boy

This printed cotton and monk's cloth furnishing fabric was designed by Ruth Reeves (1892-1966) for W. & J. Sloane in 1930. Reeves trained with Fernand Léger (1881-1955) during the 1920s and was influenced by his Cubist paintings. She produced a wide range of printed and woven fabrics, mainly depicting modern life in America. Her most widely acknowledged commission was for the carpets in Radio City Music Hall in New York. 'Play Boy' shows figures shooting, riding and driving represented in Aztec-style block motifs. Reeves travelled to Guatemala in 1934 to pursue her interest in indigenous Central American art.

Furnishing fabric · New York · 1930. Printed cotton and monk's cloth. By Ruth Reeves. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.