Storia

First Industrial Revolution (around 1760-1830)
The Industrial Revolution began in England around 1760, with the introduction of fundamental technological innovations such as the steam engine improved by James Watt and the Spinning Jenny, which revolutionized the textile sector.
This period saw the transition from an agricultural and artisanal economy to one based on mechanized factory production, with the intensive use of coal and iron. Mass production radically changed the way of conceiving objects, paving the way for the birth of industrial design, which had to combine functionality, efficient production and low costs. Technical protagonists such as Richard Arkwright and textile inventors were fundamental to this development.

Expansion and diffusion in Europe (late 18th – mid 19th century)
From England the revolution spread to Belgium thanks to William and John Cockerill, who introduced mechanical workshops in Liège, the first industrial center on the continent. In France and Germany the process was slower but developed especially in the metallurgical and textile sectors. Industrial production requires new everyday objects and tools, stimulating the birth of a more functional and standardized design, which responds to the needs of mass production.

Second Industrial Revolution (about 1870-1914)
Starting in 1870, with the introduction of electricity, steel, chemicals and oil, the second industrial revolution accelerates economic and social transformation. Industry specializes and diversifies, new technologies are born such as the internal combustion engine and mass production on an even larger scale. Design in this period evolves towards a greater attention to ergonomics, aesthetics and innovation of materials, anticipating movements such as Art Nouveau and Bauhaus, which integrate art and technology. Industrialization becomes global, and mass production also involves consumer goods and furniture.

Social and cultural impact
The industrial revolution profoundly changes society: the salaried working class is born, the organization of work changes and industrial cities develop. Design becomes a tool to improve the quality of life and production efficiency, responding to new mass needs. Industrialization also leads to social problems such as poverty and difficult working conditions, but stimulates the search for technical and design solutions for housing, furniture and work tools.

Main products and protagonists:
Steam engine (James Watt)
Spinning Jenny (James Hargreaves)
Mechanical loom (Edmund Cartwright)
Liège machine shops (William and John Cockerill)
Introduction of steel and electricity (late 19th century)
First automobiles and combustion engines (second industrial revolution)

Industrial design was born as a response to new production techniques, with figures such as Henry Maudslay who developed machine tools, and later with artistic movements that sought to harmonize function and form in the era of mass production.

The Industrial Revolution, which began in the mid-eighteenth century in England and developed in two major phases, radically transformed production and society, laying the foundations for industrial design as a key discipline for combining technical innovation, aesthetics and functionality in everyday objects.