Strawberry Thief
Strawberry Thiefis one ofWilliam Morris's most popular repeating designs fortextiles.[1]It takes as its subject thethrushesthat Morris found stealing fruit in his kitchen garden of his countryside home,Kelmscott Manor,inOxfordshire.To print the pattern Morris used the painstakingindigo dyetextile printingmethod he admired above all forms of printing. He first attempted to print by this method in 1875 but it was not until 1881, when he moved into his factory at Merton Abbey, nearWimbledon,that he succeeded. In May 1883 Morris wrote to his daughter, "I was a great deal at Merton last week... anxiously superintending the first printing of the Strawberry thief, which I think we shall manage this time." Pleased with this success, he registered the design with the Patents Office. This pattern was the first design using the technique in which red (in this casealizarindye) and yellow (weld) were added to the basic blue and white ground.Discharge printingwas used.[2]
The entire process would have taken days to complete and consequently, this was one ofMorris & Co.'s most expensive cottons. Customers were not put off by the high price, however, and Strawberry Thief proved to be one of Morris' most commercially successful patterns. This printed cotton furnishing textile was intended to be used for curtains or draped around walls (a form of interior decoration advocated by William Morris), or for loose covers onfurniture.
In 2014, video game designerSophia Georgereleased a game based on the Strawberry Thief pattern. She produced the game while working as the first Game Designer in Residence at theVictoria and Albert Museum.[3]The player controls a bird flying around the screen, gradually colouring in the pattern.
The Strawberry Thief,the 2019 novel byJoanne Harris,draws inspiration from the Morris design.[4]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Hill, Michele (2010),William Morris strawberry thief,Country Bumpkin Publications,ISBN978-0-9805753-1-6
- ^"William Morris textiles · V&A".Victoria and Albert Museum.Retrieved2023-08-12.
- ^Sherwin, Adam (24 October 2014)."V&A's Game Designer-in-Residence releases game based on William Morris' Strawberry Thief".Independent.co.uk.Archivedfrom the original on 2022-05-25.
- ^Lisseman, Christian (2019-05-06)."Author Q&A: Joanne Harris".Big Issue North.Retrieved2024-04-29.
Bibliography[edit]
- Jackson, Anna, ed. (2001).V&A: A Hundred Highlights.V&APublications.ISBN1-85177-365-7