For centuries, French furniture, textiles, ceramics and glassware set the highest standards of fine design in the decorative arts. Sevres porcelain, Gobelins tapestries and Baccarat crystal are synonymous with a taste for the good things of life, as are traditional printed cottons from Provence, silks from Lyons, glass by Galle and Daum and furniture and interior design by Guimard and Ruhlmann. The designs for these objects and settings, published in pattern books, swatch books and manufacturers’ and retailers’ catalogues, spread the influence of the French fascination with elegant living around the world.