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Blackthorn

1892
Not on view
John Dearle joined Morris & Company in 1878 as a shop assistant, became a skilled weaver and proved an invaluable manager. By the late 1880s, he was designing wallpaper patterns. Initially, these were strongly influenced by Morris's style, but then grew more distinctive. "Blackthorne" combines common hawthorne–small white flowers that spring from thorny mauve branches–with daisies, tulips and other blossoms, set amidst green leaves and over a dark ground. The symmetry along a central vertical axis echoes the company's textile patterns–when designing wallpapers, Morris himself generally used diagonal meanders.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Blackthorn
  • Designer: John Henry Dearle (British, London 1859–1932 Purley, Surrey)
  • Designer: Approved by William Morris (British, Walthamstow, London 1834–1896 Hammersmith, London)
  • Manufacturer: Morris & Company
  • Printer: Jeffrey & Co. (London)
  • Date: 1892
  • Medium: Block-printed in distemper colors
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 27 x 21 1/2 in. (68.6 x 54.6 cm)
  • Classification: Wallpaper
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Edward C. Moore Jr. Gift, 1923
  • Object Number: 23.163.4d
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

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"Rosebud", John Henry Dearle British, Cotton, British, London
"Rosebud"
John Henry Dearle
Morris & Company
designed ca. 1905, printed before 1918
Trent, John Henry Dearle British, Linen, British, Merton Abbey
Trent
John Henry Dearle
Morris & Company
designed 1888
Rose and Lily, John Henry Dearle British, Silk and wool, British, Merton Abbey, Surrey
Rose and Lily
John Henry Dearle
Morris & Company
1893
Compton, John Henry Dearle British, Block-printed in distemper colors
Compton
Multiple artists/makers
1896
Greenery, John Henry Dearle British, Wool, silk (11 warps per inch, 4 per cm.), British, Merton Abbey
Greenery
Multiple artists/makers
designed 1892; woven 1915

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