Snakeshead
William Morris · Design 1876, made 1925–40 · Art Institute of Chicago
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Guide
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From the museum
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.
The museum’s own description, in English. Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Details
- Maker
- Designed by William Morris (English, 1834–1896), Produced by Morris & Co., London (English, 1875–1940), Wardle & Co., Bridgnorth (English, 1875-1930)
- Date
- Design 1876, made 1925–40
- Medium
- Cotton, plain weave; block printed
- Dimensions
- 69.9 × 96.5 cm (27 1/2 × 38 in.); Repeat: 32.2 × 21.5 cm (12 3/4 × 8 1/2 in.)
- Place of origin
- England
- Held by
- Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · Not on view
- Credit line
- Purchased with funds provided by Mrs. Theodore D. Tieken
Image: Art Institute of Chicago, CC0
