Embroidered textiles were the first furnishings designed and produced by William Morris, enabling him to decorate his homes with the historically inspired textiles he desired, and providing an outlet for his intellectual and physical need to make things by hand. After Morris’s interests moved on to designing and manufacturing other products, the Morris & Co. embroidery studio, managed by his daughter May from 1885 to 1896, functioned as one of the most commercial areas of the company, producing kits and finished embroideries, which were popular with the middle classes and wealthy aristocrats and business people. Embroideries available ranged from cushions and tea cosies to panels for folding screens, and large scale decorative hangings. May Morris introduced many new designs, and was responsible for the success of the embroidery department, as a highly skilled designer and embroiderer, and effective manager.

The design of this embroidery may be a version of the 'Tulip' table cover exhibited by May Morris at the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society in 1890. It was a versatile pattern, appearing over thirty times times in various forms in the Morris & Co. embroidery workroom daybook in the NAL collections (MSL/1939/2636), in which May Morris listed all embroidery work commissioned for the years 1892-96. Many of her designs continued to be sold by Morris & Co. well into the twentieth century.

The embroidery was passed to the donor, Jill Ford, by her grandmother, Elsie Winifred Couper (1906-1954), the daughter of the Scottish civil engineer Benjamin Blyth II (1849-1917).