Your order qualifies for free standard delivery
8th March 2016
Born Jane Burden, she grew up to embody the Pre-Raphelite ideal of beauty and became a model to many famous artists- including her husband William Morris and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. She grew up in Oxford, the daughter of Robert Burden- a stableman, and Ann Maizey- a laundress and therefore grew up having quite a poor childhood, she had little education herself and if she had not gotten involved with the artists, she probably would have followed her mother into the domestic service industry.
Instead, in 1857, along with her sister Elizabeth she visited the Drury Lane Theatre Company in Oxford; here, Edward Burne-Jones and Rossetti noticed her seated in the gallery below them and approached her to ask her to model for them. At first she was reluctant to accept the proposal, she did not know these men and was therefore wary, she didn’t even show up to the scheduled time Rossetti was meant to paint her for his mural; it was only when she by chance bumped into Burne-Jones that she agreed and was thereafter catapulted to become an iconic face of the Pre-Raphealite art movement. Over the years, Rossetti became obsessed with painting Jane; much of his artwork that you can see today uses Jane as his model.
Morris met Jane when he used her as a model for his painting of Queen Guinevere (also known as La Belle Iseult,) during this period, he fell in love with her and proposed, she agreed however by her own admission, she was not in love with him. In a rather sweet gesture, it has been said Morris wrote on the back of the Guinevere painting, “I cannot paint you, but I love you.” Guinevere, in perhaps a bitter irony was also famously beautiful; and famously unfaithful. Rossetti was already engaged to Lizzie Siddal at this time and, despite probably being in love with him from the get go, she agreed to marry Morris. After her engagement, her education was focused on as she needed to be privately educated to become a rich gentleman’s wife. She had natural intelligence and was able to learn French and Italian and also learnt to play the piano. Her manners were also honed as she improved her class, and her speech more refined. Perhaps taking inspiration from her husband, she became quite the talented needle woman as she created beautiful embroideries.
La Belle Iseult 1858 William Morris 1834-1896 Bequeathed by Miss May Morris 1939
The couple had two daughters together- Jenny, born in 1861, and May born in 1862, the couple lived in Red House in Kent- a property Morris had built and he decorated, this remains as a beautiful National Trust property which is well worth a visit; the decorations he used in this house led to the Arts and Crafts movement. Later they moved to Kelmscott House which is now home the William Morris Society in the basement and coach house!
Morris went to Iceland in 1871, reportedly to leave his wife and his friend Rossetti to their affair as he found it too painful to watch; despite having invited Rossetti to live with them both in Kelmscott to keep the affair private. Once simply his favourite muse, once Rossetti’s wife died, the two seem to have developed a closer relationship which, on some level continued until his death in 1882. Of a Victorian marriage, it is not that surprising Jane married not for love but for class, this was done regularly and as a girl from a poor background, made financial sense. The relationship between Jane and Gabriel relationship did suffer due to his dependancy on chloral hydrate, a drug taken for insomnia, which she distanced herself from him due to. If you view his artistic impressions of Jane (of which there are many to choose from- even mythological roles he cast her in from Pandora to Proserpine,) she always has a sombre brooding face, which some have debated could be due to Rossetti’s own troubled soul, regardless, his artwork of Jane ensures her face is iconic of the ideal beauty of Pre-Raphaelite womanhood.
After Rossetti’s death, she had an affair with Wilfred Scawen Blunt; a poet and political activist that carried on until 1894. This was to be her last love, following the ending of the affair, her husband fell ill, and she cared for him until his death, after which she remained alone for the remainder of her life. She died 16 years after Morris, peacefully in her bed, aged 75.
Jane sits second from the right, in between her daughters Jenny and May, and in front of her husband, Morris. Photo from the National Portrait Gallery.
Posted in William Morris by Laura
Halloween but make it chic ✨ We love that our William Morris tablecloths can be dressed for every season, one purchase styled various ways year round 🌱☀️🍂❄️
•
•
•
#strawberrythief #williammorris #williammorrisdesign #halloween #autumntablescape
Happy Halloween! 🎃 Use code; TREAT on our website for the last day of 15% off 👻 Don’t these colours just work together beautifully, our licensed William Morris Mallow Forest Green was a new colour way we brought out last Christmas, and we’ve used all year round it’s the perfect green ✨
•
•
•
#williammorris #wmorris #williammorrisdesign #floraldesigns #autumntable
Team matching or team mix and match? 👻👇
Our napkins come in packs of 4, but if you’re a maximalist at heart, have a look at our sale section. We have packs of 1 and 2, so you can build your own beautifully mismatched set 🌸🎃
Shop via the link in bio.
#williammorris #maximalisthome #tablescape #halloweentable #laurasbeau
Cotton or heavyweight cotton? Here’s how to choose 🧵✨
All of our fabrics are licensed William Morris designs, digitally printed here in the UK. We offer two weights, so you can pick the right one for your project:
🌿 Cotton
Lighter, softer and easy to sew. It drapes beautifully and is perfect for:
- Dressmaking, like skirts, blouses and shirts
- Quilting and patchwork
- Pillowcases and bedding
- Bunting, lavender bags and small crafts
- Lightweight curtains
🌿 Heavyweight cotton
Thicker and sturdier, It holds its shape and stands up to light upholstery use, so it’s ideal for:
- Cushion covers
- Curtains and roman blinds
- Light upholstery, like chair seats and headboards
- Tote bags and aprons
- Tablecloths and placemats
Not sure which you need? Send us a message and we’ll happily help 💛
Shop by the half metre via the link in bio.
-
#williammorrisfabric #cottonfabric #upholsteryfabric #quiltingfabric #laurasbeau
Re-introducing Charlotte Rose 🌹
Our very own design, taken from our French archive of late 1800s to early 1900s prints. We fell in love with these delicate sprigs of tumbling roses and just had to bring them back to life 💕
You can buy her ready-made as a tablecloth and napkins, or by the half metre if you’d like to make something of your own 🧵
Pretty, romantic, and made for long lunches and special occasions 🥂 Link in bio to shop. #charlotterose #frenchvintage #floraltablecloth #tablescape #laurasbeau
Your Strawberry Thief, cut to order ✂️🍓
Every order is measured and cut to order. We sell it by the half metre, so it’s ideal for small projects or big makes. It’s a licensed William Morris design, digitally printed in the UK ✨
Order yours via the link in bio 💛
#strawberrythief #williammorris #fabricbythemetre #sewingfabric #laurasbeau
Who else loves making their own cards and gifts? ✂️🧵
This sweet anniversary bunny was made with little scraps of our William Morris fabric. It’s proof that even the smallest offcuts can become something really special 💛
With Halloween around the corner and Christmas not far behind, now’s the perfect time to get crafting 🎃🎄 Think appliqué cards, fabric gift tags, lavender bags, bunting, Christmas tree decorations and pretty wrapping for presents 🎁
A handmade gift will always mean so much with the thought and time gone into it, but be sure to start well in advance so you’re not frantically sewing on Christmas Eve! ✨
What are you making this season? Let us below 👇 #handmadecards #fabriccrafts #williammorris #handmadechristmas #laurasbeau
Ever wondered why our fabrics look so good up close? 🔍✨
Every one of our William Morris designs is digitally printed and manufactured right here in the UK, and here’s why we love it:
🎨 Incredible detail. Every tiny petal, berry and feather comes out crisp and true to the original design. The colours are consistent and gorgeous.
🌈 Rich, accurate colours that stay just as vibrant as the artwork intended when Morris designed them
🌿 Kinder to the planet. Digital printing typically uses far less water than traditional methods, and we print in smaller batches, so there’s less waste.
🇬🇧 Supporting British makers. A shorter supply chain means we keep skills, jobs and quality close to home.
It’s a modern way to bring timeless designs into your home 💛
Shop via the link in bio. #digitalprinting #madeinbritain #williammorris #sustainablefabric #laurasbeau
Autumn is in full swing at ours 🍂
We’ve brought the season indoors with blackberries, rosehips and the last of the hydrangeas, set against our Strawberry Thief fabric. This licensed William Morris design is digitally printed and manufactured in the UK 🇬🇧
Those cheeky little thrushes look right at home among the berries! 🐦🍓
Shop via the link in bio 💛 Three sizes of tablecloth available - 147cm round, 132 x 178cm and 132 x 229cm ☺️. #strawberrythief #williammorris #autumntablescape #madeinuk #laurasbeau
What are you all dressing up as for Halloween? This was last years costume for Bertie, what can he be this year? 🎃🖤
He’s lounging on our Compton fabric, a licensed William Morris design printed in the UK. A pumpkin with good taste!
Tell us your costume plans below 👇#halloweendog #blacklab #williammorris #comptonfabric #laurasbeau
What would you make with this fabric? 🧵
Our Golden Lily heavyweight fabric is a licensed William Morris print, printed in the UK, and it’s a dream to sew with. Cushion covers, roman blinds, tote bags, a reupholstered chair… tell me in the comments what you`d make👇
Available now, we sell it by the half metre for £13.25
#sewingproject #upholsteryfabric #williammorris #printedinuk #laurasbeau
Setting up for an evening of crafting ✂️ These 20cm x 20cm squares we sell as bundles of 5 fabric pieces, they’re perfect for smaller crafts, what would you make from them? 🪡🧵
•
•
•
#crafting #girlscraftnight #craftnight #fabricstash #williammorris
Cosy Sunday season is here 🕯️ anyone else constantly got a candle burning and a grazing board on the table at the moment? 🎃
On the table, we’ve got our beautiful Mallow Wine licensed William Morris design, a staple year round but especially this time of year 🤍
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisdesign #onthetable #tablescape #florals
October is for treating ourselves all month right? 👻 On the table is our gorgeous William Morris licensed Mallow Wine design, this time of year it’s rarely off the table! 🤍
•
•
•
#williammorris #autumntable #autumntablescape #countrykitchen #wmorris
A fabulous way to display your best new tea towel; a tea towel bow 🎀 I’ve been doing these a lot lately, but I’m so excited for how festive they’ll look for the coming season! ✨
•
•
•
#williammorris #wmorris #strawberrythief #smallbusiness #countrykitchen
We’re making some new fat quarter bundle sets for the website, let us know any combinations you’d like to see! ✨ We know lots of quilters like colour combos to match, do you prefer like colours or clashing? 🫶🏻
•
•
•
#williammorris #wmorris #fatquarters #fatquarterbundles #quilterofinstagram
Autumn gardens are upon us! 🍂 anyone else just constantly brushing up leaves? 🙆🏽♀️ These Compton William Morris tea towels are our favourites this time of year, the digital print on them is so crisp 👌🏼
•
•
#williammorris #compton #cottagekitchen #farmhousekitchen #autumngarden
New product! 🩷 Our Charlotte Rose French floral design is so beautiful, it’s from our French floral archive and we’ve just decided to do tea towels in it in time for the season of gifting 🎁 £10.99 each, available now on our website ✨
•
•
•
#frenchflorals #frenchstyle #countrykitchen #countrystyle #countrystylehome
Bringing back the pumpkin napkin fold 🎃 Anyone want a tutorial on how to do it? ⭐️
This is our licensed William Morris Compton design, isn’t it gorgeous 🍂
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisdesign #compton #autumntable #napkinfolding
All printed in the UK, these are the licensed William Morris designs we cut today- can you name them all? ✨
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #fabrics #wmorris #smallbusiness
07544 094386
