Vine
Wallpaper
1873 (designed), 1874 (published)
1873 (designed), 1874 (published)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
William Morris was an English designer, writer and activist. In 1861, Morris founded his own firm, Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co., which became Morris & Co., in 1875. As both a designer and theorist for the arts, his importance cannot be easily overestimated, and his influence continues. This wallpaper is printed in distemper colours on paper. It was printed by the wallpaper manufacturer, Jeffrey & Co. for Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co.
This wallpaper was manufactured in 1873-1874 and seven years afterwards, Morris asked in his publication Some Hints on Pattern Designing, whether it is 'not better to be reminded however simply of the close vine trellises which keep out the sun [...] than having to count day after day a few sham-real boughs and flowers, casting sham-real shadows on your walls, with little hint of anything beyond Covent Garden in them?' This wallpaper is an example of such a 'close vine trellis'. By 1890, Morris & Co.charged £0.40 to £0.50 per roll for 'Vine' wallpaper.
This wallpaper was manufactured in 1873-1874 and seven years afterwards, Morris asked in his publication Some Hints on Pattern Designing, whether it is 'not better to be reminded however simply of the close vine trellises which keep out the sun [...] than having to count day after day a few sham-real boughs and flowers, casting sham-real shadows on your walls, with little hint of anything beyond Covent Garden in them?' This wallpaper is an example of such a 'close vine trellis'. By 1890, Morris & Co.charged £0.40 to £0.50 per roll for 'Vine' wallpaper.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Vine (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Hand printed in distemper colours by wood block, on paper |
| Brief description | Specimen of 'Vine' wallpaper pattern, a foliate design of two types of leaves and grapes; Hand printed in distemper colours by wood block, on paper; William Morris; Part of 'Volume 1', a pattern book containing 25 Morris & Co. patterns from 1862-81 (E.441-529-1919); England; First issued 1874. |
| Physical description | Specimen of 'Vine' wallpaper pattern, a foliate design of two types of leaves and grapes; Hand printed in distemper colours by wood block, on paper; Inscribed on the back in ink with title, number and price. Part of 'Volume 1', a pattern book containing 25 Morris & Co. patterns from 1862-81 (E.441-529-1919). |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | (Inscribed on the back in ink with title, number and price.) |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given by Morris and Company |
| Object history | After publication as an ordinary distemper print, this design was brought out on a gold crape-embossed ground, a material which had earlier appeared in Jeffrey & Co.’s own range. It demonstrates the move into richer wallpaper effects and, at 40s. a roll, was extremely expensive (the ordinary distemper print cost 12s). Willow, issued in the same year, is a simple pattern derived from the backprint of Vine. |
| Production | Within pattern book Volume 1 (1862-81). |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | William Morris was an English designer, writer and activist. In 1861, Morris founded his own firm, Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co., which became Morris & Co., in 1875. As both a designer and theorist for the arts, his importance cannot be easily overestimated, and his influence continues. This wallpaper is printed in distemper colours on paper. It was printed by the wallpaper manufacturer, Jeffrey & Co. for Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. This wallpaper was manufactured in 1873-1874 and seven years afterwards, Morris asked in his publication Some Hints on Pattern Designing, whether it is 'not better to be reminded however simply of the close vine trellises which keep out the sun [...] than having to count day after day a few sham-real boughs and flowers, casting sham-real shadows on your walls, with little hint of anything beyond Covent Garden in them?' This wallpaper is an example of such a 'close vine trellis'. By 1890, Morris & Co.charged £0.40 to £0.50 per roll for 'Vine' wallpaper. |
| Associated objects |
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| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.485-1919 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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