'Wreath' Kidderminster carpet

This fragment of woven carpet features a pattern of loosely-petalled flowers encircled with leaves in dark blue, green, pink and cream. The carpet was designed by William Morris for manufacture with a jacquard loom, which wove the textile using a system of punched cards to automatically lift the correct threads.

William Morris was not opposed to technology in principle and believed that machines could be useful as a labour-saving tool for skilled craftspeople. Morris designed textiles to be woven on both hand-driven and steam-powered jacquard looms.