
Brer Rabbit (or Brother Rabbit)
<p>Morris & Co. produced this two-color design using a simple, age-old technique: the white pattern of rabbits and birds nestled among acorns and oak leaves was block printed with a substance that would resist the dye. When the fabric was immersed in a dye bath (seen here in red), the background—all of the unprinted fabric—absorbed the color to reveal the pattern in white.</p> <p>Block printing using either a color or a substance that resists color (or a combination of the two techniques) was the standard method for all of Morris & Co.’s cotton fabrics.</p>
Catalogue
- Year
- 1881
- Dimensions
- 141 × 193 cm (55 1/2 × 76 in.); Repeat: 33.5 × 23 cm (13 1/4 × 9 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
- 1881
- Dimensions
- 141 × 193 cm (55 1/2 × 76 in.); Repeat: 33.5 × 23 cm (13 1/4 × 9 in.)
- Watts ID
- WW-1881-016005
Source
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Source
- aic
- Reference
- View at source
- Status
- verified
