Snakeshead
<p>This pattern was first produced in collaboration with dye chemist Thomas Wardle (English, 1831–1909) in 1877, after three months of experimentation. Wardle’s company continued to print selected Morris patterns, and when Thomas died in 1909, his son Bernard maintained this relationship. Unlike woven textiles, the printed textiles are marked with Morris & Co.’s logo on their selvages (outer edges), and the different styles of the typeface offer clues to when a fabric was actually made. The selvages of this example indicate that it was made some time between 1925 and 1940.</p>
Catalogue
- Year
- 1876
- Dimensions
- 69.9 × 96.5 cm (27 1/2 × 38 in.); Repeat: 32.2 × 21.5 cm (12 3/4 × 8 1/2 in.)
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Artist
- William Morris
Artist
Painting
William Morris was an English textile designer, poet, artist, writer, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement. He was a major contributor to the revival of traditional British textile arts and methods of production. His literary contributions helped to establish the modern fantasy genre, while he campaigned for socialism in fin de siècle Great Britain.
Full artist profile →More
More by William Morris
Rabbit Pattern Printed Fabric (no. 23583)
1938 · Cotton
Strawberry Thief
1936 · plain weave cotton, discharge printed
Kennet
1920 · plain weave cotton, printed
Marigold
1920 · plain weave cotton, printed
Snakeshead
1920 · plain weave cotton, printed
Honeysuckle
1900 · plain weave linen, printed
Record
Verified by WattsOS- Artist
- William Morris
- Year
- 1876
- Dimensions
- 69.9 × 96.5 cm (27 1/2 × 38 in.); Repeat: 32.2 × 21.5 cm (12 3/4 × 8 1/2 in.)
- Watts ID
- WW-1876-016014
Source
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Source
- aic
- Reference
- View at source
- Status
- verified