William Morris's Printed Fabrics
William Morris (English, 1834-1896)
Periods of wallpaper and printed textile design for William Morris and Morris & Co.:
1st – Morris produced 17 patterns between 1872-1876 after move to Kelmscott Manor
2nd – 1876-1882 Morris produced 16 patterns for wallpaper and 22 patterns for textiles
3rd – 1883-1890 influenced by WM research at the Victoria and Albert Museum
4th – 1890-1896+ final period of WM life, focused on Kelmscott Press; pattern design and/or execution increasingly delegated to Dearle
Printed Fabrics
Fruit (original name Pomegranate), 1864 – one of Morris’ first three designs for wallpaper (others were Daisy and Trellis), later adapted for block printing of fabrics; hand-printed with 12 blocks; motifs of ripe and opened pomegranates over a repeating pattern of blossoming branches; naïve, simple, stylized rather than naturalistic [parchment/bayleaf]
Vine, 1873-1874 [1st period] – original wallpaper design adapted for hand-printed fabrics; repeat pattern features clusters of grapes and grapevines against a foliage background [dark olive]
Tulip, 1875 [1st period] – designed for hand-printing of cotton fabric by Wardle using 12 carved blocks [bullrush/slate]
Acanthus, 1876 [1st period] – wallpaper design also later used for block-printed fabric (originally velveteen); hand-printed with 30 blocks, 15 separate colors; scrolling foliage with large-scale interlocking leaves create a pattern with a simulated 3-D effect [charcoal/gray; blue/thyme variants]
Little Chintz, ca. 1876 [2nd period] – from a group of patterns inspired by cotton and linen Indian textiles; design features stylized pomegranates and foliage; for printing by Thomas Wardle (1831-1909) at the Hencroft Dye Works, Leek, Staffordshire [teal/saffron]
Snakeshead, 1876-1877 [2nd period] –Morris’ personal favorites among his wallpaper/fabric designs; hand-printed on cotton by Wardle using 4 carved blocks; design features clusters of snakeshead fritillaries against a complex foliage ground [black/bullrush]
Peacock and Dragon, 1878 [2nd period] – originally designed by Morris to be jacquard woven in wool twill on hand looms; large scale repeat pattern possibly inspired by phoenix motifs in Chinese textiles [black/bullrush]
Strawberry Thief, 1883 [3rd period] – among the most popular of Morris’ designs; inspired by WM observation of thrushes in the garden trellis at Kelmscott Manor; Philip Webb contributed the refined bird drawings; originally intended for woven wool double cloth, later adapted for wallpaper and hand-printing of cotton fabric at Merton Abbey using 24 carved blocks
[crimson/slate; indigo/mineral]
Cray, 1884 [3rd period] – design for block-printed cotton and linen fabrics, hand-printed with 34 blocks (regarded as the most complex of Morris’ fabric patterns); printed at Merton Abbey; design inspired by a 17th century pattern Morris had studied at the Victoria and Albert Museum [biscuit/brick]
Wandle, 1884 [3rd period] – one of Morris’ “river chintzes” inspired by his study of historic precedents displayed in the Victoria and Albert Museum; hand-printed in cotton at Merton Abbey using 32 carved blocks (also used for wallpaper); design features flowers emerging from continuous meandering diagonal stems with offshoots; named for the Wandle River, location of Merton Abbey [indigo/carmine]
Compton, 1896 [4th period] – design by John Henry Dearle based on preliminary sketches by William Morris; originally a wallpaper design also later used for block-printed cotton fabric primarily for use in upholstery; name for Compton Hall, Wolverhampton, West Midlands; hand-printed with 34 blocks at Merton Abbey [terracotta/multi variant]
LC – Morris, William, 1834-1896.
LC – Textile design – England – History – 19th century.
LC – Arts and crafts movement – Great Britain.
William Morris's Printed Fabrics
William Morris (English, 1834-1896)
Periods of wallpaper and printed textile design for William Morris and Morris & Co.:
1st – Morris produced 17 patterns between 1872-1876 after move to Kelmscott Manor
2nd – 1876-1882 Morris produced 16 patterns for wallpaper and 22 patterns for textiles
3rd – 1883-1890 influenced by WM research at the Victoria and Albert Museum
4th – 1890-1896+ final period of WM life, focused on Kelmscott Press; pattern design and/or execution increasingly delegated to Dearle
Printed Fabrics
Fruit (original name Pomegranate), 1864 – one of Morris’ first three designs for wallpaper (others were Daisy and Trellis), later adapted for block printing of fabrics; hand-printed with 12 blocks; motifs of ripe and opened pomegranates over a repeating pattern of blossoming branches; naïve, simple, stylized rather than naturalistic [parchment/bayleaf]
Vine, 1873-1874 [1st period] – original wallpaper design adapted for hand-printed fabrics; repeat pattern features clusters of grapes and grapevines against a foliage background [dark olive]
Tulip, 1875 [1st period] – designed for hand-printing of cotton fabric by Wardle using 12 carved blocks [bullrush/slate]
Acanthus, 1876 [1st period] – wallpaper design also later used for block-printed fabric (originally velveteen); hand-printed with 30 blocks, 15 separate colors; scrolling foliage with large-scale interlocking leaves create a pattern with a simulated 3-D effect [charcoal/gray; blue/thyme variants]
Little Chintz, ca. 1876 [2nd period] – from a group of patterns inspired by cotton and linen Indian textiles; design features stylized pomegranates and foliage; for printing by Thomas Wardle (1831-1909) at the Hencroft Dye Works, Leek, Staffordshire [teal/saffron]
Snakeshead, 1876-1877 [2nd period] –Morris’ personal favorites among his wallpaper/fabric designs; hand-printed on cotton by Wardle using 4 carved blocks; design features clusters of snakeshead fritillaries against a complex foliage ground [black/bullrush]
Peacock and Dragon, 1878 [2nd period] – originally designed by Morris to be jacquard woven in wool twill on hand looms; large scale repeat pattern possibly inspired by phoenix motifs in Chinese textiles [black/bullrush]
Strawberry Thief, 1883 [3rd period] – among the most popular of Morris’ designs; inspired by WM observation of thrushes in the garden trellis at Kelmscott Manor; Philip Webb contributed the refined bird drawings; originally intended for woven wool double cloth, later adapted for wallpaper and hand-printing of cotton fabric at Merton Abbey using 24 carved blocks
[crimson/slate; indigo/mineral]
Cray, 1884 [3rd period] – design for block-printed cotton and linen fabrics, hand-printed with 34 blocks (regarded as the most complex of Morris’ fabric patterns); printed at Merton Abbey; design inspired by a 17th century pattern Morris had studied at the Victoria and Albert Museum [biscuit/brick]
Wandle, 1884 [3rd period] – one of Morris’ “river chintzes” inspired by his study of historic precedents displayed in the Victoria and Albert Museum; hand-printed in cotton at Merton Abbey using 32 carved blocks (also used for wallpaper); design features flowers emerging from continuous meandering diagonal stems with offshoots; named for the Wandle River, location of Merton Abbey [indigo/carmine]
Compton, 1896 [4th period] – design by John Henry Dearle based on preliminary sketches by William Morris; originally a wallpaper design also later used for block-printed cotton fabric primarily for use in upholstery; name for Compton Hall, Wolverhampton, West Midlands; hand-printed with 34 blocks at Merton Abbey [terracotta/multi variant]
LC – Morris, William, 1834-1896.
LC – Textile design – England – History – 19th century.
LC – Arts and crafts movement – Great Britain.