Marigold

Marigold is a monotone print created by William Morris in 1875 that was used to produce both wallpaper and also fabric. It was a complex piece, in terms of detail, but the smaller amount of colours used ensured it was cheaper to use in the manufacturing process.

In keeping with much of his work at around this time, it is now a part of the Morris Collection at the V&A Museum in London and also was manufactured by Jeffrey & Co., who were responsible for taking most of the artist's work to market during this time. They were experienced, highly skilled printers who also learned to understand how to deal with Morris, who was famously hands-on when passing his work on to others. He could never simply allow them to work unaided without any supervision from him but he did at least learn to trust them a little more over time, after several successful projects.

Morris produced around 50 designs for wallpaper during his lifetime, but only a few were also used for fabrics, making Marigold fairly unique in that regard. The V&A Museum continues to be the best place to visit for supporters of this artist's work - not only did Morris once work at the institution as a consultant purchaser, but much of his work was also donated there after his death. His life and career were closely aligned with this impressive venue, and so it makes perfect sense for much of his work to remain there for future generations to enjoy.

Morris was a major part of the Arts and Crafts Movement which attempted to stunt the industrialisation of the western world and encourage companies and designers to return to more traditional methods of production. They believed that this would ensure quality as well as helping to better protect the environment. Morris himself was a campaigner on issues such as this and also was a prominent socialist, arguing for a greater spread of wealth.