Embroidered Altar Cloth

Maker Catherine Holiday

Designerdesigned by William Morris (British, 1834 - 1896)

Collections

ClassificationsDECORATIVE ARTS

Date1875-80

Mediumsilk on linen

Dimensionsoverall: 67 9/16 x 77 in. (171.6 x 195.6 cm.)

DescriptionThis is an embroidered altar cloth with an apron in "poppy" design by William Morris. The front and apron are trimmed with fringe along the bottom edge. The embroidered motif features a vertical pattern of single floral blooms in pinks, white, and blue, and leaves separated by a series of stripes.

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Purchased with funds given by Mr. and Mrs. Brooks Dexter

Status

On view

Label TextThis altar cloth was embroidered by Catherine Holiday, a woman who worked as a freelance embroiderer for the famed British decorative arts manufacturer Morris & Co. She produced a number of skillful embroideries after designs by William Morris from the early 1870s. Morris described her as one of the most talented embroiders in Europe because of her artistic aesthetic and the high quality of her work.

Object number2007.16