Interior of Morris & Co. George Street showroom

This painting shows the interior of the Morris & Co. George Street showroom. It was commissioned for use in a 1919 pamphlet, advertising the move of the showroom two years previously from 449 Oxford Street to 17 George Street, Hanover Square. The move occurred during the First World War in 1917, which was perhaps the reason that this pamphlet was not published until 1919.

In this watercolour we can see how the showroom was designed to look like a living room, showcasing some of Morris & Co.'s most popular patterns, like ‘Daisy’ and ‘Fruit’. We can also see a version of the Morris & Co. tapestry ‘The Pilgrim and the Heart of the Rose’ hanging over the fireplace. This tapestry was first woven in 1901 based on a chalk drawing made by Edward Burne-Jones of a scene from the medieval poem ‘Romaunt de la Rose’. Burne-Jones returned to this scene many times and designed embroideries and paintings based on it, as well as an illustration for the Kelmscott Press edition of the complete works of Geoffrey Chaucer.