The Peacock Garden
Walter Crane’s wallpaper with peacocks, fountains and winding plants in blue and gold.
Crane often used narrative motifs and animals in his wallpapers, unlike Morris’s plant patterns. The Peacock Garden won a medal at the 1889 Paris Exposition. Examples are in the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Whitworth.
Materials: Paper, distemper, metallic paint
Manufacture: Hand-printed from woodblocks by Jeffrey & Co, who printed Crane’s papers in lavish versions.
The peacocks’ tail feathers becoming part of the pattern.
The soft flowing lines pointing towards Art Nouveau.