Cleveland Museum of Art

Kennet

William Morris

Date

c 1920

Medium

plain weave cotton, printed

Culture

England, Merton Abbey, 20th century

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Morris said that he used the South Kensington Museum (now the Victoria & Albert Museum) more than anyone alive. As one of the most knowledgeable textile historians of his day, Morris filtered his love of nature through the lens of history. Later textiles with strong diagonal orientation, such as Kennet, show a debt to the centuries-old Italian cut velvet that he had studied. Named after a river in the south of England that flows into the Thames, Kennet is an example of one of his patterns that could be purchased in a variety of colors and fabrics, including cotton, velveteen, silk, and Madras muslin, creating limitless possibilities to appeal to consumers’ needs and tastes.

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