William Morris May KT30906

MAY is dedicated to May Morris.

Born in 1862, May was the younger of William Morris and Jane Burden's two daughters. May showed early and exceptional promise as an artist as well as a craftsperson. She also had a formal art education in London, at what is now the Royal College of Art. The two Morris girls were often asked to act as models for sketches. In 1893, May published a book, Decorative Needlework, that outlined her philosophy of art and design.

She advocated that designers should study nature: "the living flower should inspire a living ornament ... certain characteristics being dwelt upon, but the forms all simplified, leaves flatly arranged, stems bent in flowing curves to fill the required spaces.