The History of Block Print
Block print is a trend this spring in a big way—those Hill House dresses and that Target bedding got their patterns from somewhere! Even though it’s trending now, block print has been a traditional design motif for over 4,000 years—talk about timeless!
The Origin of Block Print
Though block printing (on paper) originated in China, India’s rich history of block printing textiles is our inspiration and story starting point. A descendent of Genghis Khan, Bābur, invaded India in the early 16th century and kicked off the Mughal dynasty. Mughal rulers patronized the arts extensively (literally designing, building, and furnishing the Taj Mahal), but block printing was a particular favorite. The textile industry flourished under their leadership and the techniques remain largely unchanged since that time!
How Block Print is made
Most block-printed textiles are printed by hand using a hand-carved wooden block, typically passed down for generations. The carvers create a block for each element of the pattern, which means that within one pattern there are blocks for every border, leaf, grouping, or flower. They’ll then either dip the block in paint (for white backgrounds) or in a bleaching agent (for colored backgrounds).
Pro tip: If you want an easy activity for the kids, or for a craft night with friends, you can get blank pillow cases, wooden textile blocks, and some fabric paint! All you have to do is lay out your pillow cases (place a piece of cardboard in the case so the paint doesn’t bleed through) and create your own block stamping pattern! We did it with the kids and had a great time teaching them about block print in the process!
The Decline of Block Print in India
As the Mughal era ended, European power consolidated in India culminating in the British Raj which lasted until 1947. European industrialization meant that Britain began exporting textiles to India, forcing weavers and printers to shut down and buy cheap imitations of their once iconic textiles. The hand-crafted originals became dangerous to print and produce and the artists were a dying breed. Story has it that British soldiers were cutting the fingers off of the artists’ hands so that they couldn’t produce the beautiful textiles! The original crafted printed fabric became a political statement! After the Raj ended, the textile industry examined ways they could sustain and improve their national, traditional techniques.
Block Print Today
In the last 70 years, the prints have experienced a rebirth (amen!) recovering from the oppression of the British rule. The celebration of handcrafted fabrics and exuberant patterns fit right into our current love of maximalism, the rebirth of chintz (think Grand Millennial), and even the bedding trends we’re seeing come in for 2026. Of course we have some awesome block printed goods in-store, but I’d love to tell you about some brands that really honor the traditions of block print and do it very well!
1. First, you will want to check out our friends at House of Alaan to support this next generation of artisans! The company was founded by Shubhra Jain, based on her desire to make high-quality, valuable pieces for her children. She would then travel regularly to India to source the best materials and create a brand that authentically represents her cultural heritage and produces timeless, beautiful pieces!
2. Next, and actually featured in our store right now, is Mended! This company’s mission is to provide a safe workspace for survivors of modern day slavery. The survivors are able to work on high quality products, make an above-market living wage, and be cared for as people! Now they can support their families without enduring further trauma - amen! And their products truly are beautifully made! If you’d like to support the Mended team, you can either shop online or at the Lambert Home store.
Why dive into the history?
Okay, I’m assuming that many of you who have made it this far have a passion for learning - welcome! But maybe some of you have only read this far because you’re nap trapped and your kindle is out of reach. Or you’re trying to stay off of social media, but you haven’t quite mastered putting the screens down entirely, yet. Or, you accidentally clicked on a link in your email and got hooked on reading!
Regardless of how you got to this point, I’m so glad you’re here! One of Lambert Home’s goals is to make design education more accessible. That’s why we’re going to start diving into the history of different design trends, why we have webinars, and why we write blogs in the first place! We don’t want to be the mysterious keepers of all design knowledge! And we don’t just have good taste, either. We are actually passionate about design! What a concept!
We are so excited to share more with you throughout the year and we hope you’ll subscribe to our emails to stay in the loop on all the design and construction knowledge. There’s truly no end to what we can all be learning!
