Pattern 01: "Fruit", also known as "Pomegranate", wallpaper. William Morris, 1866.
Printed: Jeffrey & Co.
Image: V&A

This thread is a reposting of an early thread to bring it into alignment with the general format of this account.

The original thread is here: https://twitter.com/EveryMorris/status/1098658714649808902

Fruit's design was finalized c. 1865, but work on it might go as far back as 1862. It was Morris's third printed pattern design, and the third printed pattern produced by Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. (all three were wallpapers, fabrics came later).

Like all the Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. (and later Morris & Co.) wallpapers, Fruit was manufactured by Jeffrey & Co., Islington, a wallpaper printing firm known for its skill in block-printing.

A draft of the pattern is held at the V&A. Their information notes that the design shows work by more than one designer. The pomegranates may be by the architect Philip Webb, who was Morris's friend and frequent collaborator.

This multi-designer approach was not uncommon, especially in the early days of the Firm. Webb also drew the birds for the 1862 wallpaper Trellis.

The pattern drawing is a draft - the olive branch portions it shows did not reach the final design.

One interesting thing to note: in most other Morris
(& Co) patterns, the botanical elements are continuous, with breaks between separate stems or repeats hidden. Here, however, the branches are discrete elements that clearly show their tips and cut ends.
(Image: V&A)

Fruit was enduringly popular and produced in several colorways. A c. 1905 wallpaper catalogue lists only three, but there seem to have been more, several of which were variations.

For example, a c. 1918 Brooklyn Museum sample book holds two blue samples which seem to be slightly different colorways.
The V&A also holds blues that seem to be slightly different: one is more muted and has a subtler background fill than the other.

Other variations include a light olive ground and a dark dusky blue.

(Both large samples on left: V&A. Small samples on right: Cooper Hewitt.)

The Brooklyn Museum sample book includes the fairly familiar cream ground version, a subdued dark olive ground, and a very bold version with a deep green, almost black ground.

My ko-fi:
https://ko-fi.com/smleonard 

Object links:

V&A

Design
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O250928/fruit-design-morris-william/
Brighter blue
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O249426/fruit-wallpaper-sample-morris-william/
Subdued blue
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O251030/fruit-wallpaper-morris-william/
Cream
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O250834/fruit-wallpaper-morris-william/
Light olive
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O251029/fruit-wallpaper-morris-william/
Dark blue http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O249420/fruit-wallpaper-sample-morris-william/

Object links continued:

Brooklyn Museum sample book
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/97900

Cooper Hewitt samples not indexed