William Morris's Wallpapers, William Morris (English, 1834-…

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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 John Henry Dearle (English, 1859/60-1932), formerly Morris’ assistant and (from 1873) workshop manager at Merton Abbey. Wallpapers Fruit (original name Pomegranate), 1864 – one of Morris’ first three designs for wallpaper (others were Daisy and Trellis); regarded as most sophisticated of these three; hand-printed with 12 blocks; motifs of ripe and opened pomegranates over a repeating pattern of blossoming branches; naïve, simple, stylized rather than naturalistic [slate/thyme variant] Jasmine, 1872 [1st period] – design for wood block hand-printing (also used for fabric) features hawthorn leaves and blossoms interspersed with jasmine flowers [sage/leaf variant] Larkspur, 1872 [1st period] – originally designed for monotone wallpaper, Larkspur was redesigned ca. 1875 for hand-printing in color using 12 wood blocks; this revised design was also used for fabric; the brocade-like pattern features flowers printed over a subtle background of foliage and dotted spaces [slate/russet; green/coral variants] Acanthus, 1875 [1st period] – wallpaper design also used for block-printed fabric; hand-printed with 30 blocks, 15 separate colors, requiring up to 4 weeks to print; scrolling foliage with large-scale interlocking leaves create a pattern with a simulated 3-D effect; originally issued in two color combinations: one in which green shades predominate, one in which reddish-brown shades dominate. Original price was 16 shillings (80 pence) per roll (equivalent to around $300 US today) [slate blue/thyme variant] Chrysanthemum, 1876-1877 [2nd period] – this design for paper hand-printed with carved wood blocks was inspired by Japanese “leather papers” (kinkarakawakami), which recreate the effect of embossed leather by pressing moistened paper onto a carved wooden mold Poppy, 1875 (1881?) [2nd period] – monotone print on colored ground [cream/chocolate variant] Apple, 1877 [2nd period] – block-printed wallpaper design also used for fabric; swirling pattern of speckled fruit surrounded by acanthus leaves; used to decorate the workroom at Hammersmith; a favorite design of William Morris’ daughter May Morris [indigo/antique variant] Blackthorn, 1892 [4th period] – design by Dearle for Morris & Co.; block-printed paper (also used for printed fabric) features interlocking vertical repeat pattern of flowers and foliage Artichoke, 1899 [4th period +] – design by John Henry Dearle for Morris & Co. features oversized artichokes surrounded by foliage [loam variant] Golden Lily, 1899 [4th period +] – design features entwined lily flowers, stems, and tendrils [green/red variant] Seaweed, 1901 [4th period +] – design by John Henry Dearle for Morris & Co.; pattern for block-printed paper evoking the sinuous underwater movement of plants in flowing current was also used for printed fabric; reflects influence of Art Nouveau [ink/woad variant] LC – Morris, William, 1834-1896. LC – Wallpaper, Victorian – England - Design. LC – Arts and crafts movement – Great Britain.