Design for 'Avon' printed cotton

In reaction to the hyper-realistic three-dimensional designs popular in the nineteenth century, Morris created patterns from multiple layers of flat, abstracted shapes. The green leaves in the foreground of this design rest on large white flowers, which in turn cover a layer of smaller white flowers against a dark blue background. Avon may have been one of Dearle’s first designs for printed cotton. He went on to become Morris & Co.’s chief designer.