Archibald Knox (designer) in the context of Liberty (department store)

The Modern Style is a style of architecture, art, and design that first emerged in the United Kingdom in the mid-1880s. It was the first Art Nouveau style worldwide, and it represents the evolution of the Arts and Crafts movement which was native to Great Britain. The Modern Style provided the base and intellectual background for the Art Nouveau movement and was adapted by other countries, giving birth to local variants such as Jugendstil and the Vienna Secession. It was cultivated and disseminated through the Liberty department store and The Studio magazine.

The most important person in the field of design in general, and architecture in particular, was Charles Rennie Mackintosh. He created one of the key motifs of the movement, now known as the "Mackintosh rose" or "Glasgow rose". The Glasgow School circle was also of tremendous importance, particularly the group closely associated with Mackintosh known as "The Four". The Liberty store's nurturing of style gave birth to two metalware lines, Cymric and Tudric, designed by Archibald Knox. In the field of ceramic and glass Christopher Dresser is a standout figure: not only did he work with the most prominent ceramic manufacturers but became a crucial person behind James Couper & Sons' trademarking of Clutha glass, inspired by ancient Rome, in 1888.

Tudric is a brand name for pewterware made by W. H. Haseler's of Birmingham for Liberty & Co. of London, the chief designer being Archibald Knox, together with David Veazey, Oliver Baker and Rex Silver. The gold and silver ranges were known as Cymric (pro: Kumric). Liberty began producing Tudric in 1899, and continued to the 1930s. The designs use Art Nouveau and Celtic Revival styles, and remain popular with collectors.

Tudric pewter differentiated from other pewters with better quality, it had higher content of silver. Pewter is traditionally known as "the poor man's silver".