Mary "May" Morris, Daughter of the Arts & Crafts Movement (UK)

May Morris Jewelry

These lovely pieces were designed by Mary “May” Morris, daughter of William Morris (1834-1896).  The largest is called a girdle and served as a belt worn across the midsection of a woman’s dress. This was a very elegant ornament fashioned after the medieval renaissance style. The two pins would have been either decorative or practical, depending on the outfit, and the pendant would have been worn strung delicately on a chain of silver.

Mary "May" Morris

Nursed at the breast of what can only be called a renaissance in its own right, May Morris (1862-1938) was the princess of the Arts & Crafts Movement. Her father, William Morris, serves as the most prominent founder of the international design philosophy that originated in England in the early 1860s. A talented and gifted embroiderer, May followed in her father’s footsteps as a reformer and an artist. Having studied textile arts at the South Kensington School of Design, she went on to serve as director of the embroidery department at her father’s company, Morris & Co. [Read more...]