The Art Nouveau era was a relatively short, transitional period of art, with roots in the Arts & Crafts movement of the 19th century, and branches that stretched into the Modern era.

The style was represented in just about every type of decorative art during the height of its popularity, between 1890-1910.

Embroidery in the Art Nouveau style often featured botanical images, embroidered in wool.

The above Art Nouveau embroidery design can be found on the Victoria & Albert Museum website.

If you like the Art Nouveau look, you’ll want to check out (and download) these designs & illustrations by Florence Caulfield, available on the V&A website.

You’ll not only find the line drawings, but you’ll also be able to see them executed in wool embroidery. They’re a real treat!

If you’d like to see a beautiful piece of recent embroidery in this style, take a look at this Apple Fire Screen embroidered by Ruth O’Leary. She embroidered the design and appliquéd it to the ground fabric. It’s quite lovely and the process she used for the whole project is very interesting. You can find her step-by-step development of that project on her blog, Ruth O’Leary Textile Art.

Enjoy your weekend!