{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1798940"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1798940/"}},"images":null,"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1798940","accessionNumber":"S.79-2025","objectType":"Collecting pot","titles":[{"title":"Collecting 'pot'","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"Kettle, hand-painted by Susan Bell and used as a collecting 'pot' by Flowers of May North West Morris, late 20th century.\n\nFlowers of May North West Morris was founded by Olive Cutting and Kate Rose as a result of a dance workshop at Sidmouth Folk Festival at 1976. The workshop, held by morris side, Poynton Jemmers, was aimed at women and taught dances in the North West morris tradition, which originated in industrial Lancashire and Cheshire in the 19th century. North West morris began as a processional dance, with two lines of dancers. It is a high-stepping style, often performed in clogs, with the dancers carrying short, decorated sticks or half-hoops covered in flowers.\n\nFlowers of May was one of the first women's morris sides. Inspired by the workshop, they began performing in May 1977, with dances taught to them by Poynton Jemmers. Olive Cutting was their foreman, a role that involves the teaching of dances and arranging practice sessions. Traditional English dances are often named after the places where they were created and Flowers of May's repertoire developed to include the dances called Alderley Edge, Ashton, Blennerhasset, Churchtown, Failsworth, Fleetwood, Lancaster, Marsden and Maudesley, Peover, Piper's Ash, and Runcorn. Susan Bell, who succeeded Cutting as foreman in around 1980, recalled that they 'developed a number of dances of our own in the style of North West dances'. One of these, Grand Junction, was taught to Danegeld, a mixed (men and women's) morris side, who still dance it. Flowers of May ceased performing in 2004. \n \nWhile they were active, Flowers of May gave 20 to 30 performances each year, appearing at festivals, fetes and 'days of dance', and performing outside pubs. Money was collected in several different receptacles, including this hand-painted kettle. Another of the collecting pots was a chamber pot with a banknote painted on the inside (not in the V&A's collection).\r\n\r\nThis acquisition also includes a costume (S.78-2025) and a small archive consisting of dance notation for 29 dances performed by Flowers of May and a pattern for the costume.\n","physicalDescription":"","artistMakerPerson":[],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[],"techniques":[],"materialsAndTechniques":"","categories":[{"text":"Dance","id":"THES252984"},{"text":"Folk art","id":"THES49003"},{"text":"Entertainment and leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Metalwork","id":"THES48920"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":[],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"CAGE","id":"THES49689"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"kettles","id":"AAT195349"}],[{"text":"stage properties","id":"x33279"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[],"productionDates":[],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Given by Chloe Elizabeth Middleton-Metcalfe","dimensions":[],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Kettle, hand painted by Susan Bell and used as a collecting 'pot' by Flowers of May North West Morris, late 20th century","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.79-2025"],"accessionNumberNum":"79","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":2025,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-06-12","recordCreationDate":"2025-03-03","availableToBook":false}}