Design for 'Powdered' wallpaper

'Powdered' was designed by William Morris in 1874. It takes its name from the relatively informal arrangement of meadow flower sprigs, unconnected by linking devices, over the surface of the paper. Among the six flowers featured, rose, speedwell, pansy and cornflower have been identified.

From the late 1860s, Morris's wallpapers became increasingly fashionable in interior decoration. Morris responded to demand by continually adding to his range, so that his substantial output in the medium, some fifty patterns, reflects all phases of his designing career. 'Powdered' is one of several mid-1870s designs featuring willow foliage, a favourite motif which Morris drew with endless inventiveness.