{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O78104"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O78104/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AT7303/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AT7303/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006AT7303","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AV0279","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2012FF6910","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2017KL4421","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O78104/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O78104","accessionNumber":"CIRC.91-1933","objectType":"Furnishing fabric","titles":[{"title":"Tulip and Willow","type":"manufacturer's title"}],"summaryDescription":"Printed cotton furnishing textile intended for use as curtains, wall decoration and furniture upholstery.This was the second textile designed by Morris. The original watercolour design for this textile is in the collection of the City Museum and Art Gallery, Birmingham. It took some years to put this pattern into commercial production.  \r\n\r\nOriginally Morris commissioned Thomas Clarkson of Bannister Hall, one of the leading manufacturers of printed textiles, to print this design as he had no means to do it himself. They used chemical, aniline dyestuffs, which were widely used in practice at the time.  Morris was unhappy with the crude effects of the bright blue used.  \r\n\r\nIn 1875 he spent time with Thomas Wardle at his print works in  Leek, Staffordshire, experimenting with natural dyes. It is likely that this pattern was attempted then. A letter from Morris to Wardle at the time complains yet again about the blue dyes, claiming that 'they wash even worse than Clarkson's blues; in fact worse that any I have ever seen and it would be useless to sell them in the present state.' Morris then abandoned all attempts to produce the pattern until 1883, when it was  successfully achieved by the indigo discharge method in his own factory at Merton Abbey, Wimbledon.","physicalDescription":"Cotton furnishing fabric printed with a pattern of tulip flowers and willow branches","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Morris, William","id":"A8676"},"association":{"text":"designer","id":"AAT25190"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[{"name":{"text":"Morris & Co.","id":"A1365"},"association":{"text":"maker","id":"x40240"},"note":""}],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"cotton (textile)","id":"AAT14067"}],"techniques":[{"text":"block printing","id":"AAT53289"},{"text":"discharge printing","id":"x40583"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Block-printed and indigo discharge cotton","categories":[{"text":"Textiles","id":"THES48885"},{"text":"Interiors","id":"THES48933"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&F","id":"THES48601"},"images":["2006AT7303","2006AV0279","2012FF6910","2017KL4421"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"A","id":"THES304353"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Furnishing fabric","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Great Britain","id":"x32019"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1873","earliest":"1873-01-01","latest":"1873-12-31"},"association":{"text":"designed","id":"x29338"},"note":"registered by Clarkson's (printers) 30th December 1873"},{"date":{"text":"1883","earliest":"1883-01-01","latest":"1883-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":"after"}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Given by London County Council","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"135.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"including blue border at one end","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"93","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"127.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"not including blue border at one end","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"Dimensions checked: Measured; 10/10/2001 by ET","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Designed by William Morris (born in London, 1834, died there in 1896); printed from 1883 by Morris & Co., at the  Merton Abbey Works, near Wimbledon, London","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"'Tulip and Willow', furnishing fabric, block printed cotton, British, designed by William Morris for Morris & Co., 1873","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"Parry, Linda (ed.), <i>William Morris</i> London : Philip Wilson, 1996","id":"AUTH356798"},"details":"","free":""},{"reference":{"text":"Livingstone, Karen & Parry, Linda (eds.), <i>International Arts and Crafts</i>, London : V&A Publications, 2005","id":"AUTH357959"},"details":"p.15","free":""}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"British Galleries:\nThis is Morris's second design for textiles.  Early versions printed by a Lancashire firm were not successful, as Morris wanted to use indigo which involved a complex process little known in England at that time. It took Morris a further ten years to perfect the technique.  Soon after this he opened his workshops at Merton Abbey, Wimbledon.","date":{"text":"27/03/2003","earliest":"2003-03-27","latest":"2003-03-27"}}],"partNumbers":["CIRC.91-1933"],"accessionNumberNum":"91","accessionNumberPrefix":"CIRC","accessionYear":1933,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":["2019LP7839","2019LU0657"],"recordModificationDate":"2026-05-15","recordCreationDate":"2003-03-27","availableToBook":false}}