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Willow Bough

Designer William Morris British
Manufacturer Morris & Company
Printer Jeffrey & Co. British
1887
Not on view
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. "Willow Bough" proved to be one of the company's most enduring patterns with interlaced green willow leaves and brown stems over a cream ground. First produced in 1887, it should be distinguished from the slightly earlier "Willow" (see 39.18.5) of 1885 where the leaves are flatter and less densely arranged. If the elegantly stylized "Willow" communicates a Japanese sensibility, "Willow Bough" offers greater naturalism.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Willow Bough
  • Designer: William Morris (British, Walthamstow, London 1834–1896 Hammersmith, London)
  • Manufacturer: Morris & Company
  • Printer: Jeffrey & Co. (London)
  • Date: 1887
  • 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: 23.163.4k
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

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Holland Park carpet, William Morris British, Wool<br/>Turkish (Ghiordes) knot, 25 to the square inch., British, Merton Abbey or Hammersmith
Holland Park carpet
William Morris
late 19th century
Tulip and Lily, William Morris British, Wool, British
Tulip and Lily
William Morris
Heckmondwike Manufacturing Company, Yorkshire, England
designed ca. 1875
Curtain, William Morris British, Cotton, woven, American or British
Curtain
William Morris
ca. 1882
Honeysuckle, William Morris British, Linen, British
Honeysuckle
William Morris
design registered 1876, printed 1876–77
Panel of floral embroidery, William Morris British, Silk on silk; linen backing, British
Panel of floral embroidery
William Morris
Catherine Holiday
ca. 1875–80

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