This is a list in ink on blue paper containing price specifications for a Morris & Co reredos by Philip Webb dated 1887 to Aug 1890. It is part of a two page list that contains dimensions, notes, and prices for a reredos for Whitelands College Chapel and is written to Kate Faulkner. On the second page Webb has drawn a diagram showing how the reredos has been measured. The reredos was then decorated in silver and lacquer by Kate Faulkner, demonstrating not only the collaborative nature of Morris & Co, but also the importance of women in production.
Philip Speakman Webb (Oxford, 1831-Sussex, 1915) was a prominent British architect who designed numerous buildings throughout Great Britain. Known for his contributions to British vernacular architecture, Webb was also a skilled draughtsman, and designer of tableware, tiles, stained glass, and furniture. He also designed gravestones and memorials for his friends and clients. Webb lent his hand to many collaborative projects and worked closely with his colleagues, namely William Morris, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Edward Burne Jones. His precise drawings of animals, particularly birds, frequently adorn tiles, stained glass, textiles, and wallpaper produced by Morris and Co. Webb is best known for designing Morris’ Red House in Bexleyheath, as well as Clouds House, Naworth Castle, and several London town houses. Among his other accomplishments, Webb is attributed with laying the groundwork for the Arts and Crafts and Modern movements, establishing longstanding principles in historic preservation, and creating some of the most influential designs still studied and celebrated today.