Kennet (Indigo)
1883 · Printed plain-weave cotton · The Cleveland Museum of Art
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About this work
- Artist
- William Morris (1834–1896)
- Year
- 1883
- Medium
- Printed plain-weave cotton
- Original size
- 90.2 × 97.8 cm
- Collection
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Movement
- Arts and Crafts
Large gold-edged flowers, one like a peony and one like a sunflower, ride on long diagonal stems with blue and green acanthus leaves over a background of tiny cream vines on deep indigo. William Morris designed Kennet in 1883 and named it after the River Kennet, which flows into the Thames. The Cleveland Museum of Art traces its strong diagonal movement to centuries-old Italian cut velvets, which Morris studied at the South Kensington Museum, now the V&A; he said he used that museum more than anyone alive. Kennet was sold in many colours and cloths, including cotton, velveteen, silk and Madras muslin. The V&A describes its ground as small curling grapevines. This printing on plain-weave cotton, about 1920, is in the Cleveland Museum of Art.
This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole sample beneath original typography set in-house. The design is in the public domain.
Where it works
Gold-edged blooms and diagonal leaves on deep indigo bring warmth and movement to a living room, study or above a sideboard. Pair it with Kennet (Gold Silk) at 24×36 in natural wood.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Exhibition poster of an Arts and Crafts pattern
- Era
- 19th century (1883)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Palette
- cream & beige
- Mood
- decorative, classic
- Rooms
- living room, dining room, study or library, dorm room, hallway or entryway
Size. We'd hang this one at 24×36. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.
Framing. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.
Pairing. Hangs alone or as a matched pair; three or more prints are 10% off.
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole design, or a crop?
Is Kennet (Indigo) in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was Kennet (Indigo) designed?
What size should I choose?
About this design
The Madten promise
The full-bleed print
The pattern printed edge to edge, filling the whole sheet like a panel of the original wallpaper or fabric.





























