#may morris

[dream-and-delirium]

Ernest Lefébure. ‘Embroidery and Lace: Their Manufacture and History from the Remotest Antiquity to the Present Day.’ London: Grevel, 1888.

Cover art by May Morris.

[metamorphesque]

A Triple Portrait of May Morris, Dante Gabriel Rossetti

[periodinteriors]

May Morris, Bedroom at The Grange, Fulham [home of Sir Edward Burne-Jones], c. 1880s, watercolor.

[marzipanandminutiae]

I'll admit I never fully got your gripe with shows and movies presenting embroidery as a silly women's diversion but now I've been dipping my toe into it as a hobby I'm like....this shit is SO hard and time consuming and making it look good is going to take SO much practice. I'd bite the head off any screenwriter who even hinted otherwise. I'll go to jail about it but at my trial I'll have a captive audience so who's REALLY losing here, huh?? HUH?!

it is. SO HARD.

I'm terrible at embroidery. it truly is an art form- and like most art conventionally associated with women, it's been undervalued for a very long time

like yeah it's not necessary for survival, but neither is painting in oils, and yet we have a dozen movies (correctly!) glorifying the work of skilled male- and occasionally even female -painters. where's the May Morris biopic?

look at that! Morris designed and made these bed hangings, with assistance from fellow artist Mary Newill! try to tell me that's not art; I dare you!

[tyger-land]

ᴅᴀɴᴛᴇ ɢᴀʙʀɪᴇʟ ʀᴏssᴇᴛᴛɪ 𝙍𝙤𝙨𝙖 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙭. 1874. Pencil, watercolor and bodycolor with gum arabic on paper: 77 × 88 cm (30 × 34 in).

[mythwoven]

William and May Morris would be actively fire bombing data farms if they knew AI design software can auto generate patterns

[vintage-treasures]

The Spring and Summer panel, silk embroidery on silk damask (ca. 1895–1900) "When the summer's gentle season makes leaves and flowers and field green again". Designed and embroidered textile by May Morris (British, 1862–1938), daughter of William and Jane Morris, and a leading figure in the Arts and Crafts movement.

May specialized in traditional needlework like Opus Anglicanum. For this specific series, she chose costly Morris & Co. silk damask, specifically the "St James" or "Oak" patterns, as the ground material. Loc. William Morris Gallery, London, UK. Dim. 131 cm H x 72 cm W (51 5/8 x 28 3/8 in.).

[lilianobsidian]

Spent my 22nd birthday visiting William & Jane Morris’ family home (Kelmscott Manor, Cotswolds).

And their grave in the nearby cemetery. A truly idyllic place, especially with the bright weather and spring bloom🦋

So incredibly moving to experience some of the presence of such iconic historical figures, see their own possessions + artworks and learn more about the history behind it all.