William Morris

Morris taught himself to dye with indigo and madder when commercial chemical colours disappointed him, working at Thomas Wardle's dyeworks in Leek before setting up his own vats at Merton Abbey in 1881. That hands-on research gave his printed cottons, such as Strawberry Thief, their depth of colour. At Merton the firm also wove large tapestries, including the Holy Grail series designed with Edward Burne-Jones and woven by John Henry Dearle's team. Morris insisted textile design was serious art long before galleries agreed.