Strawberry Thief
The thrushes stealing strawberries in William Morris's garden.
William Morris watched the thrushes stealing strawberries in his garden at Kelmscott Manor and made a pattern of it in 1883. It was one of the first fabrics he printed in his own works at Merton Abbey.
The technique was laborious: the cloth was dyed in indigo and the pattern bleached out, before the other colours were printed with blocks. Morris wanted to show that beautiful textiles could be made without shortcuts.
Materials: Cotton
Manufacture: Printed with indigo in the discharge technique and wooden blocks at Merton Abbey.
The thrushes with strawberries in their beaks, mirrored in the repeat.
Deep indigo blue with colours printed on top.
The dense pattern with no empty areas.