Helena was designed by Henry Dearle and registered in 1891. It was woven for Morris & Co. by Alexander Morton & Co. of Darvel, Scotland. The pattern combines artichoke flowers with a background of acanthus leaves and fritilliary. This length was purchased by the poet John Betjaman at the 1939 sale of Kelmscott Manor (the Morris family’s country retreat in Gloucestershire). The original design is also in the Gallery’s collection (see A471); another working drawing is in the Huntington Museum, California.
