Leaves from Nature No.1
1856
Owen Jones created this striking botanical study for his influential 1856 design book, *The Grammar of Ornament*, which basically served as the ultimate style guide for the Victorian era. Notice how the horse chestnut leaves are rendered with crisp, flat outlines and almost no shading? That wasn't an accident—Jones believed that good design should be flat and decorative, perfect for translating into wallpaper and fabrics. The trilingual title at the top hints at his ambitious goal to create a universal design language that could speak to the whole industrialized world.