The Strawberry Thief During The Gilded Age
“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
-William Morris
In the age of decadence and authenticity, William Morris stood out from the artists and designers of the time by creating works based upon good quality raw materials, hand processing and natural dyes. The walls of most Victorian homes, with few exceptions, were deeply colored, profusely patterned, draped with printed cloth, or heavily hung with pictures. Especially in the rising middle classes, to whom the industrial revolution had made available all means and variety of object and tool up until then enjoyed only by the wealthy (In cheaper, machine made versions). There was a taste for mass and detail and a passion to display. Plain white walls were especially unpopular. (Mccolgan 142) [See figures 2,3]. During the Gilded Age, William Morris’s style could be described as the opposite of decadence. His vision was to link art to industry by implementing aspects of fine art into his production of commercial design. Morris’s belief was that any designer should have a working knowledge of any media they were using, …show more content…
The Strawberry Thief was the first indigo-discharge textile to include yellow and red. It has a repeat of four birds, two perched on stylized green branches, clearly singing lustily, and two beneath them or above them, amongst strawberry plants. Each bird carrying away a fruit held by the stalk. Morris said he observed the birds in his own garden. He gave strict instructions that the bird would not be chased away or disturbed. The birds have sharp claws, strong beaks, and dynamic eyes. They are not thrushes, but look similar. Everything is balanced and orderly yet the birds are in motion, just as you would find in an English garden (Byatt
-William Morris
In the age of decadence and authenticity, William Morris stood out from the artists and designers of the time by creating works based upon good quality raw materials, hand processing and natural dyes. The walls of most Victorian homes, with few exceptions, were deeply colored, profusely patterned, draped with printed cloth, or heavily hung with pictures. Especially in the rising middle classes, to whom the industrial revolution had made available all means and variety of object and tool up until then enjoyed only by the wealthy (In cheaper, machine made versions). There was a taste for mass and detail and a passion to display. Plain white walls were especially unpopular. (Mccolgan 142) [See figures 2,3]. During the Gilded Age, William Morris’s style could be described as the opposite of decadence. His vision was to link art to industry by implementing aspects of fine art into his production of commercial design. Morris’s belief was that any designer should have a working knowledge of any media they were using, …show more content…
The Strawberry Thief was the first indigo-discharge textile to include yellow and red. It has a repeat of four birds, two perched on stylized green branches, clearly singing lustily, and two beneath them or above them, amongst strawberry plants. Each bird carrying away a fruit held by the stalk. Morris said he observed the birds in his own garden. He gave strict instructions that the bird would not be chased away or disturbed. The birds have sharp claws, strong beaks, and dynamic eyes. They are not thrushes, but look similar. Everything is balanced and orderly yet the birds are in motion, just as you would find in an English garden (Byatt