Jane’s bedroom is wrapped in one of William’s iconic patterns, Willow Bough. May designed and stitched The Homestead and the Forest cot quilt that rests atop the bed. A few years before her death in 1938, she penned a letter to former beau George Bernard Shaw that spoke to the frustration she felt at the lack of accolades for her own accomplishments. “I am a remarkable woman,” she wrote, “always was, though none of you seemed to think so.” At long last, May Morris is receiving her proper due as a nonpareil designer, a craftswoman, a teacher, women’s rights activist, and the founder of the Women’s Guild of Arts.
Text Karen Callaway
Photography Jane Hope
To explore Kelmscott Manor, the estate of William Morris, see “Dreaming of Home” on page 83 of the September 2018 issue, available for purchase online.
