Designed by William Morris (English, 1834–1896)
Produced by Morris & Co., London (English, 1875–1940)
Wardle & Co., Bridgnorth (English, 1875-1930)
Snakeshead
INV-3917
Designed by William Morris (English, 1834–1896)
Produced by Morris & Co., London (English, 1875–1940)
Wardle & Co., Bridgnorth (English, 1875-1930)Design 1876, made 1925–40
Arts and Crafts Movementbritish19th century20th Centurytextileprinted textile
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.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Purchased with funds provided by Mrs. Theodore D. Tieken
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.
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