Cleveland Museum of Art

Marigold

William Morris

Date

20th century

Medium

plain weave cotton, printed

Culture

England, 20th century

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Among Morris’s first designs for printing on fabric, Marigold was originally intended for use on wallpaper, as seen in the image below. It was one of only a few patterns that clients could buy as both textile and wallpaper; it was also printed on linoleum. The wide variety of media available in Marigold speaks to the broad decorative application of its lively organic pattern. Here, blossoms and vines spread with ordered freedom, generating a sense of movement and demonstrating Morris’s revolutionary principle of “rational growth,” which set his designs apart from the formal, rigid patterns of his competitors.

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