Jenny Lister

The first fully illustrated and comprehensive introduction to May Morris's work as an artist, designer and embroiderer, published in association with the V&A. May Morris (1862–1938), younger daughter of William Morris, was a significant figure in the British Arts and Crafts movement and a pioneer of ‘art embroidery’. She ran the embroidery department of Morris & Co., as well as designing textiles, wallpapers and jewellery. May was also an influential teacher and lectured in the UK and America. May Morris: Arts & Crafts Designer is the first publication to present the full range of May Morris’s work and reveals her exceptional skill and originality. It draws together her designs, exquisite embroideries, watercolours, costume and jewellery from museums around the world, and in particular the rich collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum and the William Morris Gallery, London. The book contains more than 180 items in colour and detailed information on their materials and provenance compiled by leading experts. There are also new insights into May’s personal life and relationships, her social activism and her support for other craftswomen. This authoritative and illuminating study places May Morris, whose reputation has been overshadowed by that of her father, firmly among the leading British designer-makers of the Arts and Crafts movement.

A beautiful visual reference of William Morris’s extensive range of textile and wallpaper designs, drawn from the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. William Morris (1834–1896) was a pioneer of the Arts and Crafts Movement and one of the most influential designers of all time. This extensively illustrated sourcebook brings together nearly 400 of William Morris’s ingenious textile and wallpaper patterns, arranged decade by decade, while offering a fascinating overview of Morris’s work and a compelling glimpse into his life. Featured are famous designs such as Trellis (1862), Honeysuckle (1876) and Strawberry Thief (1883), alongside lesser-known patterns by Morris and Morris & Co. designers including May Morris, Kate Faulkner and John Henry Dearle. This invaluable visual reference will inspire and inform designers, illustrators and Morris aficionados everywhere, as well as anyone interested in visual and material culture.

'The V&A is an invaluable resource for costume designers. I was fortunate to be able to look at some of the clothes in the Heather Firbank collection when I was researching for the first series of Downton Abbey - these were fine examples and particularly relevant.' Susannah Buxton, EMMY award-winning costume designer for Downton Abbey (Series 1 & 2) Over 80 years ago, Heather Firbank packed away her extensive collection of fine clothes, bought from London's very best dressmakers and tailors. These treasures lay undiscovered for the next 30 years, until after her death, they were given to the V&A, laying the foundations for the Museum's world-famous collection. Firbank was an enthusiastic shopper and bought her clothes from the world's leading couture houses, including Lucile, Redfern and Mascotte, as well as private dressmakers and department stores. Her collection forms an invaluable record of fashionable Edwardian taste over a period of some 15 years. Beautifully illustrated with new photography of finely crafted evening gowns, tailored suits and glamorous hats, the book also features contemporary photographs and pages from Heather's own albums of fashion cuttings.It vividly maps out the London couture scene of Edwardian Britain, and charts changes in fashion through the tumultuous first decades of the twentieth century. Through the story of Heather's own life, both joyous and troubled, this book celebrates the central role of clothing in creating a single woman's identity.