Kennet
Design 1883, made 1887
Medium
Silk, satin weave with self-patterning ground wefts
Dimensions
92.8 × 69.6 cm (36 1/2 × 27 3/8 in.); Repeat: 59 × 17 cm (23 1/4 × 6 3/4 in.)
Classification
textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
37104
Art Historical Context
William Morris's *Kennet*, designed in 1883 and in 1887, the Arts and Crafts movement's revival of beauty in everyday objects. As a founding figure of this late-19th-century British movement, Morris rebelled against the mechanized ugliness of the Industrial Revolution, championing handcrafted designs inspired by nature and medieval artistry. Named after the winding River Kennet in England this textile likely evokes flowing organic forms, reflecting Morris's passion for patterns drawn from the natural world. Crafted in silk using a satin weave with self-patterning ground wefts, *Kennet* showca...
About the Artist
William Morris · 1834–1896
William Morris (1834–1896) was a British designer, craftsman, writer, and socialist activist who became the most influential figure in the Arts and Crafts movement and one of the most important designers in British history. Born in Walthamstow, Essex, he studied at Oxford, where he formed a lifelong friendship with Edward Burne-Jones and came under the influence of John Ruskin's writings on art, l...