Gypsy people originally came from India and traveled to Britain over 1000 years ago. They lived nomadically in tents called bender tents and later developed wooden wagons called vardos to travel in. Vardos were decorated uniquely by each Gypsy family with designs reflecting the countryside like flowers, fruits, animals, and birds. More intricate designs displayed on vardos indicated greater wealth and status of the family. The art lesson aims to appreciate and understand Gypsy art designs while having students produce their own piece in that style.

1. Gypsy Art
Wooden Wagon Art

2. Gypsy Vardo

3. Aim of Lesson
• To appreciate the art and designs of the
Gypsy and Traveller community.
• To understand how the designs have
been developed through the history and
culture of the Gypsy and Traveller
community.
• To produce a piece of Gypsy Traveller art.

4. Gypsy History
The Gypsy people were originally from
India. Their historical journey to Britain
took them over 1000 years. The first
Gypsy record in Leeds is found in the
Parish Register of 1572.The child was
Elizabeth Smawleye, daughter of an
Egyptian. Gypsies were thought to be
Egyptians because of their darker
complexion and foreign language.

5. Gypsy Lifestyle
At first Gypsies lived in tents called
Bender tents. The trades for the men was
mainly seasonal work. This could be
harvesting crops, mending pots and pans
and general labouring. The trades for
women could be telling fortunes, selling
lucky heather or picking wild flowers to
sell.

6. Bender Tent

7. Travelling
Gypsies put their belongings on an open
or flat cart. However by the 1880’s the flat
cart had been developed into a wooden
wagon called a vardo. These wagons
were pulled by horses. Inside there would
be a double bed and underneath that a
single bed. The single bed would be for
the youngest child. The other children
would sleep outside under tarpaulin.

8. Gypsy Flat Cart

9. Interior of a vardo

10. Vardos
Most vardos were built between
1895-1925. One of the most famous
vardo builders in Yorkshire was called
William Wright who lived in Rothwell. He
and his sons, Herbert and Albert made the
wooden wagons, the Gypsies then
decorated them. One of Wright’s vardos
can be seen in York’s Castle Museum.

12. Designs
The designs used by Gypsies reflected the
countryside they travelled through. Each
design was unique to that family. Each
family designed their own. Family horses
were a particular favourite. The families
also liked carvings of birds, flowers, fruit
and animals. Some Gypsy families liked
designs from Ancient Rome that included
grapes, lions classical lines and scrolls.

13. Fruit Design

15. Birds

16. Horse Design

18. Flower Design

19. Lion Design

20. Buffalo Design

21. Designs 2
All vardos would have lines painted on
them. The Gypsies called the line design
“lined out.” The status of the Gypsy family
could be seen by the decorations on their
vardo. The more intricate the design the
richer the family were. Gold leaf was also
used as part of the decoration. A highly
painted gold leaf vardo would cost today
well over £20,000.

22. Lined Out

23. Local Gypsy Designer
• Jimmy Berry a Gypsy vardo designer and
painter painted his famous cherry design
in the 1960’s. His grandchildren still live in
Leeds and attend local schools.

24. Cherry Design

25. Activities
• To produce a piece of art work that
reflects the Gypsy and Traveller traditional
art designs.