Morris & Co.

Needlework was to the 19th century what knitting has become in the do-it-yourself craft movement of today. In the mid 1800s, embroidery was reassessed by the design reformers as an important applied art, and many needlework schools were established, sometimes with the help of William Morris.

Morris & Co. produced and sold needle-worked objects as well as embroidery kits complete with patterns and silk floss threads, making it even easier for the amateur to do-it-herself at home. Vast numbers of Morris-style embroideries were made to decorate the home and church. This is a typical example from that era.