LX_101 An important Arts & Crafts silk embroidery wall hanging by May Morris

Arts & Crafts ‘Honeysuckle' an important silk embroidery wall hanging by May Morris (1862-1938) born at Red House and died at Kelmscott Manor.
May was taught by her mother Jane and aunt Bessie Burden. In 1881 she enrolled at the National Art Training School later to become the Royal College of Art.
William Morris handed over the management of the Embroidery Section to May, aged 23 in 1885 who by then was already a skilled and influential embroideress. May helped expand the appeal and versatility of embroidery and she was involved in the scaling up of small intimate pieces to that of full scale hangings and tapestries. An extract from a Morris Society Publication ‘William Morris Studies Summer 2004 by Helen Elletson' reveals "Interesting accounts of several of May's works are given, including one of her most popular designs for wallpaper, Honeysuckle, which has only relatively recently been attributed to her".
May Morris was active in the Royal School of Art Needlework founded as a charity in 1872
Morris & Co
Circa 1890