Artwork
Contribution to V&A's 150th anniversary album
Contribution to V&A's 150th anniversary album is a drawing by Cath Kidston. It dates from 2007 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
The brief asked artists to share what excited them about the museum’s collection.
Cath Kidston drew a page for the V&A’s 150th birthday album in 2007. The brief asked artists to share what excited them about the museum’s collection. Her drawing joined 149 other works by designers, photographers, and architects.
The project celebrated the V&A’s move to South Kensington in the 1850s. Each page could be any style—sketches, graphics, words, even digital images.
Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Overview
In 2007, the Victoria and Albert Museum commemorated its 150th anniversary with a collaborative album featuring contributions from 150 practitioners across art, design, architecture, and photography. Each participant was invited to submit a single page responding to the museum’s collections, executed in any medium or format. The project reflected the institution’s historical roots in South Kensington, established in the 1850s as a center for art and design education.
Subject & Meaning
The album’s premise encouraged personal interpretations of the V&A’s holdings, allowing contributors to highlight objects, themes, or qualities they found compelling. While the exact content of individual pages varied, the collective work served as a meditation on the museum’s role in shaping creative thought. The project positioned the institution not merely as a repository but as an ongoing source of inspiration.
Technique & Style
Submissions ranged from traditional sketches and handwritten notes to digital graphics, reflecting the diversity of contemporary practice. The open brief permitted unrestricted stylistic expression, resulting in a compilation that spanned minimalist line work, intricate patterns, and conceptual compositions. This heterogeneity underscored the museum’s inclusive approach to visual culture.
History & Provenance
The album was conceived to mark the sesquicentennial of the V&A’s relocation to its current site, a milestone in its development as a public institution. Assembled in 2007, the volume brought together contemporary voices to engage with the museum’s legacy. Its creation aligned with broader efforts to reexamine the V&A’s historical narrative through modern perspectives.
Context
The project emerged during a period of renewed interest in the intersection of heritage and contemporary creativity. By inviting living practitioners to respond to its collections, the V&A positioned itself as a dynamic space rather than a static archive. The album functioned as both a celebratory gesture and a dialogue between past and present artistic practices.
Legacy
The anniversary album remains a document of the V&A’s influence on generations of makers. While individual contributions may not have been intended as permanent additions to the collection, the project itself reinforced the museum’s commitment to fostering connections between historical artifacts and current creative discourse. Its existence underscores the enduring relevance of institutional archives.
Artist & collection
Artist
Cath Kidston used to wake up at 5 a.m. to sketch teapots and floral patterns before her day job running a tiny shop in London. She’s the reason your aunt’s kitchen looks like it’s wearing a vintage apron—pastel florals…
