May Morris : Arts & Crafts Designer

May Morris (1862–1938) was a significant figure in the British Arts and Crafts movement and a pioneer of art embroidery. She ran the embroidery department of Morris & Co., as well as designing textiles, wallpapers, and jewelry. Morris was also an influential teacher and lectured in the United States and across the United Kingdom.

May Morris, now in paperback, presents the full range of Morris’s work and reveals her exceptional skill and originality. It draws together her designs, exquisite embroideries, watercolors, costume, and jewelry from museums around the world, and in particular the rich collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum and the William Morris Gallery, London. The book contains more than 180 objects in color alongside detailed information on their materials and provenance compiled by leading experts. There are also new insights into Morris’s personal life and relationships, her social activism, and her support for other craftswomen.

This authoritative and illuminating study places Morris, whose reputation has been overshadowed by that of her father William Morris, firmly among the leading British designer-makers of the Arts and Crafts movement.