Arcadia by May Morris

What Arcadia shows

Arcadia features bold, arching plant stems that curve across the surface, bearing deeply lobed, feathered leaves and heavy downward-facing blossoms. The primary foliage resembles classical acanthus, twisting in graceful arcs that interlock across the composition. Beneath and between these large curving branches, a dense secondary layer of small star-like flowers and thin sprigs fills every open space, giving the design substantial textural depth.

In the Indigo on Ivory colourway shown on this site, the entire composition is rendered in two contrasting tones. The deep indigo blue field forms the background, while the light ivory shade defines the foreground branches, leaves, and underlying sprigs. The lighter tone also outlines the serrated edges and interior ribs of each leaf, creating a crisp, graphic read across the wall.

Who designed it and when

Arcadia was designed in 1886 by May Morris. May was the younger daughter of William Morris and Jane Morris, and an accomplished artisan who took charge of the Morris & Co. embroidery department in 1885 at age twenty-three. Although many patterns from the workshop were often misattributed to her father, museum records document May Morris as the designer of this pattern.

Her work on Arcadia arrived during an active decade for Morris & Co., only three years after her father’s famous Strawberry Thief printed textile. You can browse every William Morris design in our library to see how May’s botanical work sits alongside designs by her father and fellow Morris & Co. designer John Henry Dearle.

How it was made and used

Arcadia was manufactured as a wallpaper for domestic interiors. While May Morris built a substantial reputation leading embroidery work and founding the Women’s Guild of Arts in 1907, she also produced flat patterns intended for paper printing.

Like other Morris & Co. papers of the 1880s, the design relied on carefully planned repeats to allow the curving stems to connect seamlessly from roll to roll. The complex background tracery helped disguise the seams between paper drops, creating an unbroken decorative surface when hung across a room.

Colourways

This site currently offers Arcadia in one historical colourway:

• Indigo on Ivory: A dark navy blue ground paired with pale ivory stems, leaves, and meadow flowers, based on an original 1886 wallpaper specimen in the Cooper Hewitt collection.

The high-contrast two-tone palette emphasizes the structure of May Morris’s drawing without competing multi-colour fills, allowing the rhythmic movement of the stems to take center stage.

Arcadia as a print

Arcadia is available as an art print printed and shipped by ArtsyWall in three formats: Archival Paper, Premium Canvas, and Framed Canvas.

Because Arcadia relies on a balanced two-color scheme, it works exceptionally well as a standalone framed picture. On Archival Paper, the textured 100% cotton rag surface highlights the crisp botanical line work. On Premium Canvas or Framed Canvas, the deep indigo ground provides rich, graphic depth against lighter wall surfaces. The Framed Canvas option surrounds the design with a floating wood frame in your choice of black, white, gold, silver, walnut, or oak.