64 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK AU G U S T 2019
TRENDS
WORDS: CLARE GOGERTY PICTURES: ANDY GORE, ELLE DUNNMay Morris (1862–1938) has finally emerged
from the long shadow cast by her father
William with the release of a new Morris
& Co collection inspired by her designs. No
mere needleworker, May, a fervent socialist,
also designed pieces of jewellery, was painted
by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and elevated
embroidery to an art form. As she once told
THE ARCHIVE FIND
‘MESLETTER’
COLLECTION
Morris & Co’s latest range of fabric
and wallpaper draws inspiration
from the intricate work of its
founder’s daughter, May Morris
MAY’S LOOSE, ORGANIC DESIGNS WERE
ENTIRELY AHEAD OF THEIR TIME, A CONTRAST
TO THE REPEAT PATTERNS OF THE DAY
playwright George Bernard Shaw (with
whom she was romantically involved): ‘I’m
a remarkable woman – always was, though
none of you seemed to think so.’
Style Library, custodian of the Morris &
Co archive, does think so, however, and its
‘Mesletter’ range of seven embroideries,
seven prints and ten wallpapers does much
to restore May’s reputation. A reworking
and updating of her designs to suit the
contemporary home, it has the stylised
flowers and birds characteristic of Arts &
Crafts style, but with the detailed richness
of embroidery, and a modern colour palette.
May learnt her craft from her mother
and aunt, revealing a talent that led to her
overseeing embroidery at Morris & Co aged
just 23. Her loose, organic designs were
entirely ahead of their time, and offered a
contrast to the repeat patterns of the day.
The ‘Mesletter’ collection, named after the
house in Orkney that housed her hangings,
is a fitting tribute to May and to the other
talented female needleworkers who stitched
alongside her. Some designs are faithful
copies of the original documents from the
archive, others are interpretations and some
are entirely new but reference her style.
According to Rebecca Craig, head of design
at Morris & Co, the new collection is a true
celebration of ‘May’s commitment to her
own creative vision and to her father’s ideals’.
Not only does it validate her contribution
to the Morris & Co brand and to the wider
Arts & Crafts movement in general, but it
finally offers us the chance to decorate our
homes with the beautiful work of this once-
forgotten star (stylelibrary.com).
Main image ‘Double Bough’
wallpaper, £115 per roll
Fabric swatches, clockwise
from top left ‘Morris Oak’,
£49 per metre; ‘Morris
Brophy’, £109 per metre;
‘Wilhelmina’, £69 per metre;
‘Morris Mesletter’, £295
for a three-metre panel