Wey thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Wey

Pair of Curtains
ca. 1883 (designed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This design, 'Wye', was originally intended to be printed as an indigo-discharged cotton but was produced by Morris & Co. as a printed cotton velveteen.

These curtains were part of the decoration of Forest Gate Unitarian Church, in London. The original design is owned by Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (395,41).


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Furnishing Fabric
  • Furnishing Fabric
TitleWey (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Block-printed cotton velveteen
Brief description
Pair of 'Wey' velveteen curtains, designed by William Morris, England, ca. 1883
Physical description
Two printed cotton velveteen curtains of different sizes used in the furnishing of Forest Gate Unitarian Church 1901-2. The design, in the shades of orange shows diagonally meandering branches of curving leaves with large stylised chrysanthemum flower heads repeating at intervals to form horizontal stripes. There is a smaller subsidiary design of leaves and small unopened chrysanthemum heads.

There are samples of this pattern on printed cotton already in the collection and it appears in velveteen in a small Morris and Company pattern book.

The original watercolour design for this pattern is in the collection of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
Dimensions
  • Height: 231cm
  • Width: 396cm
  • Height: 91.5in
  • Width: 75in
Credit line
Given by Forest Gate Unitarian Church
Object history
Originally designed to be printed as an indigo-discharged cotton but was produced in this form, as a printed cotton velveteen.

Part of the Morris & Co. decoration of Forest Gate Unitarian Church, London. The original design is owned by Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (395,41).
Subject depicted
Summary
This design, 'Wye', was originally intended to be printed as an indigo-discharged cotton but was produced by Morris & Co. as a printed cotton velveteen.

These curtains were part of the decoration of Forest Gate Unitarian Church, in London. The original design is owned by Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (395,41).
Associated object
T.660-1919 (Reproduction)
Bibliographic reference
Parry, Linda, ed. William Morris. London: Philip Wilson Publishers Limited, 1996. 384 p., ill. ISBN 0856674419
Collection
Accession number
T.87&A-1980

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Record createdJanuary 16, 2004
Record URL
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