Coffee with a Curator: ‘The dear warp and weft at Hammersmith’: Morris’s carpets at Kelmscott House

July 19, 2022 11.00-11.30

In 1876, William Morris wrote to his daughter May about an oriental carpet he had recently added to his already extensive collection, ‘It will make you feel as if you are in the Arabian Nights’. Morris’s great appreciation of Persian carpets led to him not only collecting them and advising the South Kensington Museum on purchasing the finest examples, but went as far as attempting to bring the art of the east to his own home when he began manufacturing hand-knotted rugs at Kelmscott House in Hammersmith. The Society is fortunate to have two examples of these Hammersmith carpets in its collection. 

Please join us to explore Morris’s own outstanding collection of Persian carpets, how he displayed them in his home, his role as historic textile adviser to the South Kensington Museum, and his successful endeavours at mastering the ancient art of hand-knotting himself. It was the latter which resulted in Morris’s ground-breaking role when founding the Hammersmith carpet workshops and thereby creating the highly-prized works of art that were inspired by the exquisite patterns and profound beauty of the historic Persian carpet. 

This is an online talk, held on Zoom, and will be recorded. Attendees are asked to keep their cameras off and microphones muted throughout the event.