John Everett Millais' Mariana

For myself, one of the most enduring appeals of Pre-Raphaelite art is its strong relationship to romantic literature. Millais' 1851 work, Mariana, is a great example of this. The painting is based on a poem of the same title by Tennyson that in turn was inspired by Shakespeare's play, Measure for Measure. In Measure for Measure, the character Mariana is abandoned by her fiance, Angelo, when her dowry is lost in a shipwreck.

Millais' illustration of Mariana at the window reminds me of other stories, such as that of Penelope. Like Penelope, Mariana is engaged in needlework. Autumn leaves have blown in through the window and are scattered about the room--on the floor as well as on her needlework project, which the gallery description at the Tate suggests represents "the burden of her yearning as time passes." She is staring at a stained-glass image of the annunciation, which according to Tim Barringer was seen "as a quasi-sexual event" for both Millais and Rossetti in their paintings (42-43). There definitely is an undercurrent of frustration and longing in the painting.

Millais originally exhibited the painting along with several lines from Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem, Mariana:

She only said, 'My life is dreary,
He cometh not,' she said;
She said, 'I am aweary, aweary,
I would that I were dead!'

Tomorrow: another Pre-Raphaelite vision of Mariana.

image courtesy Tate Gallery
Source consulted: Tim Barringer. The Pre-Raphaelites. London: Everyman Art Library, 1998

Bois de Rose Children's Clothing, Paris

I still remember my favourite dress growing up. It was navy blue and smocked with pale blue tulips. I just adored it. I think my sister had a matching one in pale green.

Smocking is still a popular design feature in children's clothing, but most of it is pretty poor quality. Hand smocking is labour intensive, which makes it very expensive. But if you are looking for luxurious smocked outfits, look no further than Bois de Rose. Situated in the heart of Paris, Bois de Rose specializes in delicious smocked dresses (their website is in both French and English). I ran into this store two years ago while I was walking through the Latin Quarter with my mom. They were closed, but we peered through the window in astonishment. I had never seen such beautiful children's clothing (they have great things for both boys and girls and in an amazing variety of fabrics). They are truly little works of art. They are the Hermes of children's clothes! For the truly indulgent, Bois de Rose will even create matching dresses for your daughter and her doll! If you are ever in Paris, this shop is a must-see! I'm expecting the arrival of a neice in June, so this is one place I have to shop while I'm in Paris.

If you are drawn to the design appeal of smocking but want to avoid the hefty price tag, there is a smocking association, the Smocking Art Guild of America, and numerous websites that cater to smockers. If you want to learn to smock on your own, A-Z of Smocking is a comprehensive resource with easy to follow instructions and clear illustrations for all of the stitches(the company that publishes this book also publishes a smocking magazine in Australia--who knew smocking was popular enough to have its own magazine?).

In other news, only two more days until I leave for Paris! I'm so excited! But I'm also a little freaked out--I need to have my thesis all finished before I go. Right now I'm in the process of doing my last bits of editing and writing my abstract. I will be so glad to be done with this!

Petition on Behalf of William Morris Gallery

Edward Burne Jones' Holy Grail Tapestry (discussed in yesterday's post) is set to go to auction this evening. It's presence at the auction has caused quite a stir, and fans of William Morris' art have decided to use the recent media publicity that the auction has generated in order to give attention to the plight of the William Morris gallery.

The BBC reports that today as the Morris and Company tapestry goes to auction at Sothebys for £1 m pounds, a petition containing 11,000-signatures will be presented to the Waltham Forest Council, asking them to increase opening hours and hire more staff.

William Morris was a leading figure in the Arts and Crafts movement, known for his writing as well as his contributions to the art world. The museum and gallery is located at Walthamstow in what was Morris's family home from 1848 to 1856. The museum has been open since 1950 and contains £60 m worth of his work.

Unfortunately, the museum's hours have been drastically reduced in recent months, and the museums long time curator was sacked by the Waltham City Council because they felt it wasn't worth paying the money to keep him. I can understand why people in North America might not fully appreciate William Morris' contributions to the art world, but it seems hard to believe that the city council in Waltham--where Morris grew up, can't grasp the importance to keeping a museum dedicated to his work. I certainly hope that the petitioners are successful. I signed the online petition a couple of months ago.

In closing, I would like to extend my apologies to anyone who was trying to access my blog this morning! I was trying to switch over to publishing on a custom domain, but it didn't exactly work. I think I actually did it correctly, but it takes a day or two to update the DNS, and I really don't want to have to wait that long. I've learned my lesson...do stuff like that at night!

Led Zeppelin and Pre-Raphaelite Art

It turns out that gifted Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page has a thing for Pre-Raphaelite art! I read the news on Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood yesterday and decided to do some more research into Jimmy Page's art collection.

I can't say that I'm that surprised...if you've ever listened to Led Zeppelin's music, you've probably noticed that the band was heavily inspired by Medieval/fantasy themes. Lead singer Robert Plant's favorite book was the Lord of the Rings and it's evident in their music. A number of their songs reference material from Lord of the Rings, including "Over the Hills and Far Away," "Misty Mountain Hop," "Battle of Evermore," and "Ramble On", with "Ramble On" being the most explicit.

Jimmy Page has stepped beyond admiration for the medieval and has become an avid collector of Pre-Raphaelite art (including at least one painting by Dante Gabriel Rossetti). All of this has come into the news in the last couple of days as Page plans to auction one of the tapestries in his collection at Sothebys--the final scene from Edward Burne Jones' Holy Grail Tapestry (pictured above).

The piece is expected to fetch around $2 million at auction. It was originally designed by Sir Edward Burne-Jones and woven by Morris and Company's tapestry weavers. It took three weavers a full two years to complete. **edit**I guess it depends on who you ask. The New York Times reports that the 24 foot wide tapestry actually took eight men two years.

According to Page's art dealer-to-the-stars, Paul Reeves, (who has many hats, it appears--he also designed clothing for the Rolling Stones and Beatles, but has been a full time art dealer since 1976) Page is forced to sell because the wood panels on his Thames Mansion are too weak to support the tapestry. It seems more likely that he is in financial trouble, since he also plans to sell a gigantic set of Arthurian round table and chairs, and two sideboards at the same auction.

source: cbc.ca

William Morris Inspired Quilts

I know I was supposed to begin writing about Medieval influences on the Pre-Raphaelites, but I recently came across some beautiful artwork that deserves special attention.

I received an email from Michelle Hill on Sunday about her interest in William Morris' designs. After paying a quick visit to her website I realized she is an incredibly gifted artisan. She cites William Morris as a major inspiration for her work and her designs often feature interpretations of his designs.

Her quilts are simply incredible and their spectacular design speaks for itself. Generally speaking, I am not a fan of quilts. I appreciate the hard work and patience quilting requires, and I often see old quilts that I find interesting from a historical perspective, but I have never seen a quilt that I would really want to have in my home. Most quilts simply do not fit with my aesthetic.

This is no longer true. Michelle's quilts are absolutely lovely and I think they demonstrate decisively that quilts need not be country western-ish! Her designs are more evocative of fine tapestry than of the majority of quilts. She has even done a quilted interpretation of the famed "Lady and the Unicorn" Tapestry! It never even occurred to me that you could create such beautiful art through quilting. Since I'm sure I can't afford to commission one of these lovely quilts, it appears I may actually have to learn how to do it myself!(Luckilly Michelle sells the patterns for her quilts). She has also created some smaller applique pillows based on Morris designs that would be good starter projects.

Michelle has won many awards throughout Australia for her quilts. Her entry for the "Festival of Quilts", called Renaissance (pictured above), won first place and "viewers choice" in the Professional Appliqué category of the Quilters Guild of SA Inc’s “Festival of Quilts.”

Inspiration for this quilt, called "Coffee with William Morris" came to Michelle over a cup of coffee in 2002. It includes elements of Morris' "Rose" and "Brompton" designs.

I hope you enjoyed these designs. Michelle has many other quilts on display at her website.
If you are interested in finding the patterns for these beautiful designs, they can be purchased through a number of fine retailers. For more info, please visit Michelle's website.

The Artistic Monogram

Generally, I find monograms to be in rather poor taste. It's something about the Lilian Vernon "get it monogrammed for two dollars extra" mindset that seems terribly tacky.

That being said, I adore the artful monograms that graced linens in the past. I remember reading about them in Miss Manners' as a kid and I was totally enthralled by the notion of someday possessing my very own set of monogrammed linens.

The practice of applying monograms is over three hundred years old. Before the 1700's, monograms were strictly limited to the nobility, who added monograms for much the same reason that hotels include them today--for identification. Because there was no such thing as machine weaving at that time, fabrics were incredibly costly and were as significant a part of a noblewoman's dowry as land. Intricate hand made designs of the crest of the noble family were carefully applied to the linens.

By the 1700s, however, things were beginning to change. Members of the growing middle class wanted to emulate the habits of the nobility, and they begin copying the custom. Most did not possess family crests, so they began to embroider their own initials into the fabric instead. Embroidery techniques were quite elaborate at times and often included applique, cutwork and drawn work. In an effort to create a more "crest-like" image, elaborate floral borders were often added.

In spite of the numerous innovations in monograms over the years, one thing that remained unchanged until recently was the custom of working the embroidery in white thread on white or ivory linen. As you will have noticed, this is more of an exception to the rule these days...most monograms use strongly contrasting thread in order to highlight the initials.

So, what did the Pre-Raphaelites think of monograms? William Morris was certainly a fan--Red House is crowned with a weathervane formed out of Morris' initials. Morris was more a fan of crests, though, which makes sense given his admiration for the medieval.

One company that keeps the tradition of fine hand embroidery alive is D. Porthault of France. The company was the linen provider of choice for royals on both sides of the Atlantic--the Windsors and the Kennedy clan reportedly slept on nothing else. Their fine linens cost a pretty penny, however. A set of King sheets with pillow shams will set you back a mere $2800. Perhaps you could invest a little time in learning to do embroidery yourself!

Image courtesy Linge de Berry Bedlinens

New Needlepoint Project

I received my needlepoint kit from Beth Russell on Friday! I was so excited that I took pictures of the kit when it arrived. Right now I'm working on the leaves and vines in the design (they're the easiest part--the shading on the birds and flowers is more complex and I don't want to mess it up). I'm also looking forward to doing the actual trellis part, which uses the Gobelin stitch, something I haven't tried before.

Now that I have the design in my hands, I'm struck with how Medieval the pattern is, but also by how Japanese it looks. Perhaps it's from looking at all of the Japanese designs from Liberty yesterday, but I'm starting to notice that a lot of Arts and Crafts style is very influenced by Japanese design.

Here you can see where I've started stitching on the leaves! The design didn't fit on my frame properly, so I've had to turn it the other way. You can get a bit of a sense of the texture this way. I may have to take it easy with my stitching for the next few days--my wrist is killing me from what I've done so far--I'm thinking I'm much better suited to writing about art than I am to producing it!

Hope everyone has had a beautiful weekend!

Royal School of Needlework

I was looking at some of Paula's lovely embroidery over at The Beauty of Life this morning and it inspired me to do a little research on the Royal School of Needlework (because I would definitely need to take some of their classes if I ever wanted to be able to do embroidery myself!).

The Royal School of Needlework was founded in 1872 by Princess Helena, Queen Victoria's daughter and wife of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein in order to preserve the art of hand embroidery and needlework that was disappearing in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. Not surprisingly, William Morris played a significant role in establishing the school, as did his daughter May and friend Sir Edward Burne-Jones. Morris was hired by the Royal School of Needlework to create some of the first designs used by the school.

The school started out small on Sloane street with space for only about 20 students. By 1903 the school had grown to 150 students and moved to Exhibition Road, close to the Victoria and Albert Museum. The school has been at Hampton Court Palace since 1987 and now features fine views of the Palace gardens (thanks, Wikipedia). Although day classes are offered, the school continues to train young people between the ages of 18 and 26 (alas, I will be too old next year to attend!) with a 3-year apprenticeship in design and all embroidery techniques. Apprentices also learn teaching skills and gain experience in the professional workrooms, which undertake many original commissions and restorations. Beth Russell of Designers Forum, whose designs I constantly recommend on this blog, is probably the most famous student of the school. She's also the reason that I know about the Royal School of Needlework. I read her books religiously (they contain a lot of Arts and Crafts philosophy and history) and she mentions the RSN in several of her books. It sounded like a paradise for fans of handcrafts!

Tracy Franklin is also RSN trained, and her embroidery work is positively stunning. She has published a number of books on embroidery, including a beautiful book on goldwork, New Ideas in Goldwork(she has also written on whitework and advanced embroidery techniques).

Today the Royal School of Needlework has an archive of over 30,000 images covering every period of British history. There are also over 5,000 textile pieces, including 1,000 pieces of lace, plus silkwork, whitework, Jacobean embroidery and many other forms of embroidery and needlework.

The Royal School of Needlework offers "embroidery classes for everyone in the beautiful surroundings of Hampton Court Palace." I will definitely setting some time aside to take one of the RSN classes next time I'm in London! (Perhaps something flashy like goldwork on canvas!). If you happen to be visiting in London, and have some extra time on your hands, try taking one of the day classes available at the school.

Here's what the Royal School of Needlework has to say about their embroidery classes:

In small, friendly class groups with highly skilled and experienced tutors learn to work traditional techniques and discover the subtlety of embroidery and its potential as an art form. The classes are all practical “hands-on” stitching.

One, two or three day Classes are held regularly throughout the year at weekends and on week days during the Easter and summer vacations. Classes cover a wide range of techniques including design and painting.

Class Times: 10.00 am to 4.00pm, with lunch from 1.00pm to 2.00pm

Refreshments: Morning coffee break at about 11.10am. Tea, coffee and soft drinks provided. Bring your own lunch to eat at the RSN or in fine weather picnic in the gardens. The Palace Coffee Shop and Tiltyard Restaurant are available for meals and snacks.

Materials: Designs and packs of materials are provided for all classes. The cost of these kits is additional to the class fee and varies depending on the technique. Kit costs range from approximately £12.00 to £35.00 and the more expensive kits contain metal threads.

Please see the Royal School of Needlework's website for more details

Photo courtesy of Tracy Franklin's website

William Morris Forest Tapestry

I've been waiting on pins and needles (pardon the pun) for my trellis kit to arrive! In the meantime, it never hurts to drool over the other interesting things out there. Today I've been reading about tapestries.

One of William Morris' greatest legacies was his revival of a number of art forms that were on the brink of extinction at the end of the 19th century. Chief among these were his fabulous tapestries. The Forest Tapestry, created in 1887 was designed by Morrs, Philip Webb and John Henry Dearle. It was later woven out of wool and silk on cotten warp in the Merton Abbey workshops by Morris and Co.'s three most senior weavers. It is believed that John Henry Dearle, Morris' most talented assistant and an expert in the art of natural dyes, created the floral details for the tapestry. The animals were drawn by Morris' friend (and designer of Red House), Philip Webb. Morris wrote the inscription that was written across the original: "The Beasts that be in woodland waste, now sit and see nor ride nor haste" (the verse was later published under the title "The Lion" and included in a volume of poetry by Morris entitled Poems by the Way (1891).

The design went on to become one of the most popular in the history of Morris and Company. The original now hangs in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

I've also included a photo of Beth Russell's fabulous needlepoint adaptations. I usually can't stand animals in needlepoint designs, but I think these come across as regal and decidedly un-tatty. I especially love how she's displayed them! If you're interested in making one of these cushions yourself, you can purchase it through her website, or find the design in her book, Traditional Needlepoint

In closing, it's been really fun to read everyone's posts on seven things about themselves! Thanks for joining in!

My First Completed Needlepoint Project

If some of you were wondering why I don't post pictures of my needlework, hopefully this answers your questions! The incredibly talented Paula, over at The Beauty of Life asked me to post a picture of my first project, so I decided to swallow my pride and go ahead.

I started this little project a long time ago (if the colours look weird it's because most of them got lost somewhere along the way). I finally decided to go ahead and turn it into a pin cushion on Sunday. I managed to figure out how to sew the pillow based on some instructions found on the internet. I cut the backing from an old pillow that was falling apart but was made of pretty good fabric (I even recycled the stuffing!). So at least it's pretty green. It may not be that attractive, but I suppose that's alright for a pin cushion. Hopefully my next effort will turn out better!

William Morris' Trellis Pattern

I finally ordered my needlepoint kit from Beth Russell, so I thought I'd do a little more research on the design so I could share it with you all!

Inspired by the trellises at Red House, Trellis is widely regarded as William Morris' first wallpaper design. Pictured on the left is his original pencil and watercolour sketch of the design, composed in 1862 (image courtesy of Beth Russell Needlepoint ).

According to the Victoria and Albert Museum's website, trellis' pattern "is said to have been inspired by the gardens at Red House, which were organised on a medieval plan with square flowerbeds enclosed by wattle trellises for roses." The image of the roses weaving their way through the man-made trellis speaks very clearly to the interaction between nature and culture. The rose is "a domesticated plant that is still very much part of the natural world of display and defence, desire and threat"(24).

Moreover, the coupling of the lovely climbing roses and their prominent thorns convey the theme--found in many of Morris' poetic works, including The Defence of Guenevere--of the close relationship between beauty and danger (23). Likewise, if you look closely, you can also see the mayflies Morris has included in the picture (one is visible in the first coloured block from the top), symbolizing the delicacy and transitory nature of life, while the birds give the design energy and vitality(23-24). Again, as in Morris' poems, this design "implies that no easy distinctions can be made among wild, domesticated, and human nature, house, garden, and beyond"(24). Everything is as interwoven as the image itself.

While many of William Morris' later wallpaper designs eclipsed trellis in complexity, it remained a favourite of Morris throughout his life. Trellis was Morris' choice as the wallpaper for his own bedroom at Kelmscott house.

Source:
Bentley, D.M.R."Discontinuities: Arthur's Tomb, Modern Painters, and Morris's Early Wallpaper Designs." Writing on the Image: Reading William Morris. Ed. David Latham. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007. 17-30.

The Quilts of Gee's Bend

(This quilt was designed by Arlonzia Pettway in 1982. It's based on the "housetop" pattern and can be found in Gee's Bend: The Women and Their Quilts. Tinwood Books, 2002).

Yesterday, as part of her show's Martin Luther King Day celebrations, Oprah did a small feature on the town of Gee's Bend, Alabama (with some video of the town's famous quilters), where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech in 1965. During the 1960's, the small isolated black commmunity of Gee's Bend became involved in the Freedom Quilting Bee--a civil rights related campaign that provided an opportunity for African American women to preserve their quilting traditions by selling their handiwork to outsiders.

I was lucky to have the opportunity to examine the quilts of Gee's Bend several years ago for a professor who was writing a book on the history of cotton. It was incredible story about how a group of women were able to transform quilt making from a survival skill that helped their families through long winters into a viable and thriving business that significantly augmented their household incomes.

The isolation of the Gee's Bend community was a significant factor in preserving the aspects of African culture that made the Gee's Bend quilts unique. Many of their methods of quilt making had been preserved since the time when African Americans had first arrived in Alabama as slaves:

…the appliqué tradition that flourished in the American South was brought over
by slaves from Benin (formerly known as Dahomey), West Africa. In the Benin
tapestries, stories from oral tradition and history are illustrated with
appliquéd figures. Animals are used to symbolize kings or central figures of
proverbs or folktales. The influence of Benin appliqué tradition on the Bible
quilts of Harriet Powers, an ex-slave from Benin has been firmly established by
scholars, particularly in her technique and animal symbolism. Another intriguing
aspect of Harriet Powers’ quilts is the merging of Christian religious symbols
with the African cosmology of the Bakongo people. (Fry, 12).

The quilters of Gee's Bend often use much simpler designs than those described above, but they are still infused with vibrant colours (the quilters also make use of unusual materials, such as denim from blue jeans).

Sewing was a survival skill for the earlly members of the Freedom Quilting Bee. Nettie Pettway Young (a founding member) recalls:

Sewing is almost my heart. I just love to sew and quilt quilts with my mother.
When I was six years old I started helping her sew. I went on to making quilts
and learned how to make all the different quilts she knowed how to make:
Bricklayers, Monkey Wrenches, Grandmama’s Dream, Grandmother’s Choices, Coat of
Many Colors, Broken Stoves, Wild Geese Chases, Cross Cut Saw, Stars, Sweeps, and
Bear’s Paws. We growed up making those quilts. I don’t know why they spell out
from but we made ’em through our own parents. I guess she did learn from her
mother, ‘cause her mother was making quilts and quilting ‘em, too, when I knowed
my grandmother.
I growed up sewing. I used to make all my kids’ clothes. I
never bought clothes. I made the clothes(Callahan, 194).

The quilts of Gee's Bend became incredibly fashionable during the 1960s when Diana Vreeland of American Vogue began featuring them in photo layouts in her magazine(Callahan, 64). However, as the business acumen of the quilting bee members increased, it helped ensure that their co-op would survive long after quilts lost their trendy appeal. The quilts remain popular today and are often exhibited in fine art galleries.

Sources:

Callahan, Nancy. The Freedom Quilting Bee. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press, 1987.

Fry, Gladys-Marie. Stitched from the Past: Slave Quilts from the Ante-Bellum South. (New York: Dutton Studio Books, 1990).

The quilts of Gee's Bend are incredibly unique. To view more of these masterpieces, check out their website.

The New Year in Art

Happy New Year!

January is named after the Roman god Janus, who was often depicted as two faces looking in opposite directions--towards the past and the future at the same time. How appropriate!


I haven't really sat down to make a list of New Year's resolutions this year, but there are a few things I hope to accomplish in the coming year:

1. Finish some truly satisfying needlework projects
2. Complete my thesis and finish my MA!!!
3. Take some great vacations with my dear husband before the pitter-patter of little feet come to slow us down.
4. Focus on beautifying our home



I had such a wonderful time on Christmas vacation, but it's nice to be home (though it's a lot colder here than in Seattle!). I'm still debating which Beth Russell kit to order. (You can also use the patterns available in her books, such as Arts and Crafts Needlepoint to create your own kit)I'm now thinking I might prefer doing the trellis pattern. The birds look so cute!


What do you think? I think the variation of colours in this pattern are a bit more fun to work with than Sunflower.

Christmas Eve

I have been so busy this week that it's been difficult to find time to post! My husband and I are visiting my mom's house and having a wonderful time. It's his first time visiting the house where I was born and it's been really special to be able to share with him all of our Christmas traditions!

I am having such a good time here! I re-discovered a treasure trove of my mom's needlepoint and design books that I can't wait to share with you all! I also found an abandoned needlepoint project (a rose pin-cushion) that is keeping me busy!

It's probably going to be pretty difficult to find much time to post before New Years' (that's when we are returning home). I hope everyone is having a great Christmas!

Beth Russell Needlepoint

Well, I've been so busy lately it seems I haven't had much of a chance to blog at all!

The Christmas season is here and I'm enjoying dragging all my Christmas music out and playing it 24/7. I had a full day of decorating the house last week and now feel there's enough holiday cheer to brighten up the cold winter days! Winter weather always makes me want to engage in some sort of cozy hobby. I've decided to buy a needlepoint kit.

If you aren't familiar with Beth Russell's needlework kits, be sure to visit her website http://www.bethrussellneedlepoint.com/. Her artwork is amazing and she has fabulous reproductions of William Morris designs that you can create in your own home! My mom has done several of them (the Compton Cushion and Strawberry Thief) and they look just fabulous. The quality of the wool is incredible, as is the canvas. She sells pattern books as well, but unless you are incredibly patient and have the spare time to search heaven and earth for all the supplies you'll need, the kits are the way to go.

I'm currently trying to decide what kit to purchase. The husband is quite fond of the Sunflower pattern (pictured).

In other news, I'm thoroughly enjoying the return of Victoria magazine, though I'm a bit concerned that it's altogether too Southern in feel.