Swan House carpet

William Morris

c. 1883 · Hand-knotted carpet, cotton and wool · The Art Institute of Chicago

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

📦 Free shipping on every order, arriving in 4–9 business days with production included. Express ($14.90) at checkout arrives in 4–6 business days.

Complete the setHangs well with these two

3 × $59 at 16 × 24 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

Free shipping worldwide · arrives in 4–9 business days

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free

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About this work

Artist: William Morris (1834–1896)
Year: c. 1883
Medium: Hand-knotted carpet, cotton and wool
Original size: 472.3 × 333.4 cm
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago
Movement: Arts and Crafts

A deep red field of interlacing cream stems and stylised flowers surrounds a round dark-blue medallion, framed by a wide border of cream palmettes on blue. William Morris designed the Swan House pattern around 1883, looking to Turkish and Persian rugs for its layout of central medallion, flowering field and continuous palmette border. This example was hand-knotted at Merton Abbey in 1887 and bought that April at Marshall Field's in Chicago for the main hall of John J. Glessner's new house on Prairie Avenue, designed by the architect H. H. Richardson. It stayed with the Glessner family until 1974, when it was given to the Art Institute of Chicago. It is more than four and a half metres long.

This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole sample beneath original typography set in-house. The design is in the public domain.

Where it works

Deep red with a navy medallion and cream border gives warmth and weight to a living room, library or entrance hall. Pair it with Holland Park carpet at 24×36 in black.

Style, size & framing detail

Style: Exhibition poster of an Arts and Crafts pattern
Era: 19th century (c. 1883)
Orientation: Portrait
Palette: cream & beige
Mood: decorative, classic
Rooms: living 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

• Exhibition poster — original, drawn in-house • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in; every size also available framed • Framed option: wood frame in black or natural wood, 12 mm wide and 22 mm deep, with a plexiglass front and no mat; the print is mounted inside and the frame's outside measures the listed size • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Printed after you order at the facility nearest you, then shipped. Standard delivery is free and takes 4–9 business days from order to door in the US, UK and EU (up to 10 elsewhere); Express takes 4–6 business days. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole design, or a crop?

The whole sample, uncropped, set above exhibition typography designed in-house. For the pattern edge to edge, choose the full-bleed print.

Is Swan House carpet in the public domain?

Yes. William Morris (1834–1896) died more than 70 years ago and the design dates from before 1931, so it is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of an original held by The Art Institute of Chicago.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18, 16×24 and 24×36 inches; every size is also offered framed in black or natural wood, with plexiglass and no mat. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was Swan House carpet designed?

William Morris designed Swan House carpet in c. 1883; this sample is hand-knotted carpet, cotton and wool.

What size should I choose?

For Swan House carpet we'd choose 24×36. Patterns also hang well as a pair or a row of three colourways at the same size.

About this design

An exhibition poster of William Morris's Swan House carpet — the whole carpet sample shown uncropped beneath gallery typography, styled as an Arts and Crafts exhibition print. A gallery-style exhibition poster: a celebrated public-domain artwork shown whole and uncropped beneath original exhibition typography set in-house — printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Every size is offered unframed or framed in black or natural wood. Part of the Madten Exhibition Posters Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

Buy with confidence

The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in 4–9 business days.

Secure checkout. Payments handled by Stripe; we never see or store your card.

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