May Morris
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Mary "May" Morris (25 March 1862 – 17 October 1938) was an English
artisan An artisan (from , ) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art, sculpture, clothing, food ite ...
,
embroidery Embroidery is the art of decorating Textile, fabric or other materials using a Sewing needle, needle to stitch Yarn, thread or yarn. It is one of the oldest forms of Textile arts, textile art, with origins dating back thousands of years across ...
design A design is the concept or proposal for an object, process, or system. The word ''design'' refers to something that is or has been intentionally created by a thinking agent, and is sometimes used to refer to the inherent nature of something ...
er, jeweller,
socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
, and editor. She was the younger daughter of the
Pre-Raphaelite The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB), later known as the Pre-Raphaelites, was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, ...
artist and designer
William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was an English textile designer, poet, artist, writer, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement. He was a major contributor to the revival of traditiona ...
and embroiderer and artists' model
Jane Morris Jane Morris (née Burden; 19 October 1839 – 26 January 1914) was an English embroiderer in the Arts and Crafts movement and an artists' model who embodied the Pre-Raphaelite ideal of beauty. She was a model and muse to her husband Will ...
(née Burden).


Biography

May Morris was born on 25 March 1862 at Red House,
Bexleyheath Bexleyheath is a town in southeast London, England, in the London Borough of Bexley. It had a population of approximately 15,600 in 2021 and is southeast of Charing Cross. It is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in London ...
, and named Mary, as she was born on the
Feast of the Annunciation The Feast of the Annunciation () commemorates the visit of the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, during which he informed her that she would be the mother of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is celebrated on 25 March; however, if 25 Marc ...
. May learned to embroider from her mother and her aunt Bessie Burden, who had been taught by William Morris. In 1878, she enrolled at the National Art Training School, precursor of the
Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public university, public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, London, White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design uni ...
. In 1885, aged 23, she became the Director of the Embroidery Department at her father's enterprise Morris & Co. During her time in the role she was responsible for producing a range of designs, which were frequently misattributed as her father's work. She ran this department until her father's death in 1896, where she moved into an advisory role. In 1886, May fell in love with Henry Halliday Sparling (1860–1924), secretary of the Socialist League. Despite her mother's concerns about her future son-in-law, they married on 14 June 1890 at
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
Register Office A register office, commonly referred to unofficially as a registry office or registrar's office is an office in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and some Commonwealth countries responsible for the civil registration of births, deaths, marri ...
. The Sparlings were divorced in 1898, and May resumed her maiden name. In 1907, she founded the Women’s Guild of Arts with Mary Elizabeth Turner, as the Art Workers Guild did not admit women. They were assisted in its foundation by Mary Annie Sloane, Ethel Everett, Mabel Esplin and Letty Graham. The Women's Guild of Arts became a leading association for women artists and craftswomen, providing networking and educational opportunities as an alternative to the Art Workers Guild. She edited her father's ''Collected Works'' in 24 volumes for Longmans, Green and Company, published from 1910 to 1915, and, after his death, commissioned two houses to be built in the style that he loved in the village of Kelmscott in the
Cotswolds The Cotswolds ( ) is a region of central South West England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper River Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and the Vale of Evesham. The area is defined by the bedroc ...
. Her companion at Kelmscott from 1917 until her death was Mary Lobb, a
Land Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on Ground warfare, land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include avia ...
volunteer in the village. May Morris died at
Kelmscott Manor Kelmscott Manor is a limestone manor house in the Cotswolds village of Kelmscott, in West Oxfordshire, southern England. It dates from around 1570, with a late 17th-century wing, and is listed Grade I on the National Heritage List for Eng ...
on 17 October 1938.


Embroidery

May Morris was an influential embroiderer and designer, although her contributions are often overshadowed by those of her father, a towering figure in the
Arts and Crafts movement The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and America. Initiat ...
. She continued his resurrection of free-form embroidery in the style which would be termed art needlework. Art needlework emphasized freehand stitching and delicate shading in
silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...
thread thought to encourage self-expression in the needleworker in sharp contrast with the brightly coloured Berlin wool work needlepoint and its " paint by numbers" aesthetic which had gripped much of home embroidery in the mid-19th century.May Morris was also active in the Royal School of Art Needlework (now Royal School of Needlework), founded as a charity in 1872 under the patronage of Princess Helena to maintain and develop the art of needlework through structured apprenticeships. The school originally opened in the autumn of 1872 in rooms in Sloane Street, London, with a staff of twenty women overseen by Lady Welby and Mrs Dolby, an "authority in ecclesiastical work". While the course available in the government schools of design for women was theoretical only, the RSAN had the distinct advantage of a practical, hands-on technical training. The school grew rapidly, and by 1875 had moved into their third locale, conveniently located in Exhibition Road next to the South Kensington Museum. The collections of ancient embroidery in the Museum were studied in an effort to understand and relearn old work. Also among the staff at the RSAN were
Jane Morris Jane Morris (née Burden; 19 October 1839 – 26 January 1914) was an English embroiderer in the Arts and Crafts movement and an artists' model who embodied the Pre-Raphaelite ideal of beauty. She was a model and muse to her husband Will ...
's sister, Elizabeth Burden, who was chief technical instructor from 1880, and designers Deborah Birnbaum (c1889) and Nellie Whichelo (c1890). May Morris taught embroidery at the LCC Central School of Art in London from 1897, and was head of the Embroidery department from 1899 until 1905, thereafter continuing her association with the Central School as Visitor until 1910. She also taught at Birmingham, Leicester and Hammersmith Art School. By 1916, there were many art schools under the LCC umbrella that included embroidery in their curriculum. Among the embroidery instructors were sisters Ellen M Wright and Fanny I Wright, both previously employed in the Embroidery Department at Morris & Co., and trained by May Morris. Ellen M Wright also taught at the Clapham School of Art, aided by Miss F Pooley, and Eleanor R Harriss and Mrs L Frampton taught at the Hammersmith School of Arts & Crafts.


Jewellery

Morris also designed and made jewellery. She began to design jewellery around the turn of the 20th century, and was probably inspired by the Birmingham jewellers Arthur and Georgie Gaskin, who were old family friends. Examples of her jewellery were donated by Mary Lobb to the
Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...
and
Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales, branded as simply Amgueddfa Cymru (formerly the National Museums and Galleries of Wales and legally National Museum of Wales), is a Welsh Government sponsored body that comprises seven museums in Wales: * N ...
.


Publications

* ''Decorative Needlework''. London: Joseph Hughes & Co., 1893. * ed and Introd. ''Collected Works of William Morris''. 24 v. London: Longmans, Green, 1910–1915. New York: Russell & Russell, 1966. * "Coptic Textiles". ''Architectural Review'' 5 (1899), 274–287. * "Chain Stitch Embroidery". ''Century Guild Hobby Horse'' 3 (1888), 25–29. * "Line Embroidery". ''Art Workers' Quarterly'' 1:4 (October 1902), 117–121. * "Opus Anglicanum – The Syon Cope". ''Burlington Magazine'' 6 (October 1904 – March 1905), 278–285. * "Opus Anglicanum II – The Ascoli Cope". ''Burlington Magazine'' 6 (October 1904 – March 1905), 440–448. * "Opus Anglicanum III – The Pienza Cope". ''Burlington Magazine'' 7 (April–September 1905), 54–65. * "Opus Anglicanum at the Burlington Fine Arts Club". ''Burlington Magazine'' 7 (April–September 1905), 302–309. * "William Morris". Letter. ''Times Literary Supplement''. 905 (22 May 1919), 280. * "William Morris". Letter. ''Times Literary Supplement''. 1685 (17 May 1934).


Notes


References

*Daly, Gay, ''Pre-Raphaelites in Love'', Ticknor & Fields, 1989, . *Hulse, Lynn, editor ''May Morris: Art & Life. New Perspectives'', Friends of the William Morris Gallery, 2017 . *Lochnan, Katharine, Douglas E. Schoenherr, and Carole Silver, editors: ''The Earthly Paradise: Arts and Crafts by William Morris and His Circle from Canadian Collections'' Key Porter Books, 1996, . * Marsh, Jan, ''Jane and May Morris: A Biographical Story 1839–1938'', London, Pandora Press, 1986 * Marsh, Jan, ''Jane and May Morris: A Biographical Story 1839–1938'' (updated edition, privately published by author), London, 2000 * Anna Mason, Jan Marsh, Jenny Lister, Rowan Bain and Hanne Faurby, authors ''May Morris: Arts & Crafts Designer''. V&A/Thames and Hudson, 2017 . * Naylor, Gillian: ''William Morris by Himself: Designs and Writings'', London, Little Brown & Co. 2000 reprint of 1988 edition. *Todd, Pamela, ''Pre-Raphaelites at Home'', New York, Watson-Guptill Publications, 2001, * Thomas, Zoe 'At Home with the Women's Guild of Arts: gender and professional identity in London studios, c. 1990-1925', article, ''
Women's History Review ''Women's History Review'' is a bimonthly peer-reviewed academic journal of women's history published by Routledge. The editor-in-chief is June Purvis ( University of Portsmouth) and Sharon Crozier-De Rosa is deputy editor. Abstracting and inde ...
'' 2015


External links

* * *
Decorative Needlework
by May Morris, 1893
Works by May Morris
at
William Morris Gallery The William Morris Gallery is a museum devoted to the life and works of William Morris, an English Arts and Crafts designer and early socialist. It is located in Walthamstow at Water House, a substantial Grade II* listed Georgian home. The extens ...


External sources

* On Poetry, Painting and Politics: Letters of May Morris and John Quinn: The Letters of May Morris and John Quinn Hardcover – 28 Feb. 1997 by May Morris (Author), John Quinn (Author), Janice Londraville (Editor) * May Morris: Arts & Crafts Designer Hardcover – Illustrated, 28 Sept. 2017 by Anna Mason (Editor), Jan Marsh (Editor), Jenny Lister (Editor), Rowan Bain (Contributor), & Hanne Faurby (Contributor) * May Morris, 1862-1938: Exhibition Catalogue Paperback – 10 Jan. 1989 by Helen Sloan (Author) {{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, May Arts and Crafts movement artists English designers Embroidery designers English artists' models 1862 births 1938 deaths Morris & Co. English socialists People educated at Notting Hill & Ealing High School Members of the Fabian Society English LGBTQ artists Bisexual artists