Throughout their lives, William and May Morris were fascinated by textiles, but it was embroidery that first prompted this love of fabric and was the first of the textile arts that they both mastered. They went on to create some of the most iconic Morris & Company designs which are acknowledged masterpieces and that remain enduringly popular.
This talk will therefore focus on the major role that embroidery played in the lives of William and his daughter May, and will explore how they raised the status of embroidery, elevating it to an artform.
Helen Elletson is Research and Development Curator for the William Morris Society and is also Research Curator for Emery Walker’s House