Strawberry Thief

c 1936

designer

William Morris

(British, 1834–1896)

Culture

England, Merton Abbey, 20th century

Medium

plain weave cotton, discharge printed

Measurements

Overall: 88.3 x 99.1 cm (34 3/4 x 39 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Mrs. Henry Chisholm 1937.696

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Location

Not on view

Description

Perhaps the most recognizable of Morris’s textiles, Strawberry Thief celebrates the thrushes in Kelmscott Manor’s garden. May Morris remarked, “You can picture my Father going out in the early morning and watching the rascally thrushes at work on the fruit beds and telling the gardener who growls, ‘I’d like to wring their necks!’ that no bird in the garden must be touched.” With Strawberry Thief, Morris perfected the indigo-discharge process, which required the entire cloth to be dyed blue before it was bleached and block printed, in this case with more colors than any of his other textiles.