William Morris designed Fruit (also referred to as Pomegranate) in 1862 and it is one of his earliest designs for wallpaper. The pattern is formed of pomegranates, oranges and limes surrounded by foliage and flowers. The original design is in the colection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (E.299-2009) and included olive branches which were removed in the finished wallpaper. Morris first tried printing wallpaper at his studio in Red Lion Square in oil colours from etched zinc blocks. Unsuccessful he ordered traditional pearwood printing blocks to be cut for ‘Fruit’ and production was then subcontracted out to Jeffrey & Co. of Islington, which specialised in the production of hand-printed wallpapers and continued to print the firm’s wallpapers.
This example is stamped on the right edge ‘Morris & Co’ with their colourway number ‘Fruit 5’ and the price 13 shillings written in pencil on the reverse. It was formerly in the possession of Sir Raymond Unwin (1863-1940), architect, secretary of the Manchester branch of the Socialist League and acquaintance of William Morris.
