William Morris: Daisy, 1864

hand block-printed paper, Morris & Co
William Morris (1834-1896)
courtesy of Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Daisy was the first wallpaper pattern to be issued by Morris & Co, featuring a simple design of naively drawn meadow flowers. The source was a wall-hanging illustrated in a 15th-century version of Froissart's Chronicles, but similar flower forms can be seen in late medieval 'mille-fleurs' tapestries and in early printed herbals.

Morris observed plants in his gardens and on country walks, and also images of plants in 16th-century woodcuts. His designs were subtle, stylised evocations of natural forms rather than literal transciptions. He owned copies of various 16th and 17th century herbals, illuminated manuscripts and textiles incorporating floral imagery. Morris designed over 50 wallpapers, and his firm produced a further 49 by other designers including George Gilbert Scott, Kate Faulkner, and J.H. Dearle.

the above text appears on the back of the card
HC-769: card size 6" x 6" (150mm x 150mm)