Description
One of the most popular products of May Morris’s embroidery division were kits, which contained fabric marked with a design and the recommended embroidery thread. These kits allowed amateur embroiderers to have the satisfaction of making a beautiful object with their own hands. John Henry Dearle’s original drawing for Peony is annotated on the back by May Morris, who suggested the most appropriate use for the panel as part of a room divider screen.
Provenance
Haslam & Whiteway, London, by 2004; sold to John H. Bryan (1936-2018), Lake Bluff, IL, 5 Nov. 2004 [This and the following from Crab Tree Farm Foundation catalog records in curatorial file]; given to Crab Tree Farm Foundation, Lake Bluff, IL, 2012; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2018.
Accession Number
249139
Medium
Cotton ground, silk threads
Dimensions
156.5 × 66.4 cm (61 5/8 × 26 1/8 in.)
Classification
embroidery
Credit Line
Gift of Crab Tree Farm Foundation