Daisy

William Morris|Morris & Company|Jeffrey & Co.

1864 · Block-printed in distemper colors · Drawings and Prints

William Morris designed forty-one wallpapers and five ceiling papers, working from 1862 with Morris, Marshall, Faulkner, and Company and from 1875 with Morris & Company. "Daisy" was his second design, but the first pattern the company produced. Small light red and brown flowers are supported by green leaves, forming a repeating pattern against a cream ground. The artist was influenced by medieval "millefleurs" tapestries, early printed herbals, and a textile he found in an illuminated copy of Froissart's "Chronicles." He also looked closely at native flowers. A belief in beauty, imagination, and order shaped Morris's wallpapers. Their commercial success raised the standards of British wallpaper design and production in the last quarter of the nineteenth century.

Artist

William Morris|Morris & Company|Jeffrey & Co.

Date

1864

Medium

Block-printed in distemper colors

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Purchase, Edward C. Moore Jr. Gift, 1923