"Corncockle" block printed curtain, 1 of 2

Date1883

Manufacturer Morris and Company (English furniture maker and design firm, 1875–1940)

Designer William Morris (English designer, writer, and activist, 1834–1896)

MediumFive-color block-printed on linen, cotton lining

Dimensions110 x 67 in. (279.4 x 170.2 cm)

Credit LineAcquisition Fund, 1982

Object number1982-65.1

On View

Not on view

ClassificationsTEXTILE

Label TextThis pattern, designed by William Morris in 1883 combines elements of the natural world - cornflowers and dahlias or sunflowers - with more abstracted patterning, an unusual pairing but one that was not without historical precedent. The pattern was block printed by hand on the fabric. Morris preferred this historical technique rather than machine-printed rollers which were in widespread use by the mid-1800s.