Morris & Co. on Screen
LightNews LightNews
banner
morris-on-screen.bsky.social
Morris & Co. on Screen
@morris-on-screen.bsky.social
260 followers 2 following 77 posts
Documenting all the places Morris & Co. / #WilliamMorris patterns show up in set decoration. A little project by @smeadleonard.bsky.social. Submissions extremely welcome - tag me, DM me, or email MorrisOnScreen@gmail.com
Posts Replies Media Videos
morris-on-screen.bsky.social
Fiddler on the Roof, 1971

William Morris, "Chrysanthemum", 1877
A scene from Fiddler on the Roof (1971): Tevye enters a room, following a woman. The room is decorated in Victorian style, with brass table lamps and objects, a sofa upholstered in a dark floral with a lace cover on the back, dark curtains, and Morris & Co. "Chrysanthemum" on the wall. All of the colors are very muted.
September 12, 2025 at 1:27 AM
morris-on-screen.bsky.social
A Series of Unfortunate Events, Season 3 Episodes 5 and 6, "Penultimate Peril" Part 1 and 2, 2019.

William Morris, "Bachelor's Button", 1864 and J.H. Dearle "Seaweed", 1901.
The Baudelaire children, dressed in green hotel bellboy uniforms, gather in a hotel room decorated with green-on-green, complexly patterned fabrics and wallpaper. The room is dimly lit, but a lamp on the far wall illuminates the wallpaper, which is Morris & Co. "Bachelor's Button," a tonal green pattern of large swirling acanthus leaves and rounded flowers. Arthur Poe leads the Baudelaire children down a hotel hallway. They are all wearing blindfolds and dressed nicely in suits or dresses. They are at a crossing of two hallways, and there is an open area surrounded by a wrought-iron ballustrade to the right. The floors are inlaid parquet. The walls have dark green trim surrounding large panels of Morris & Co. "Seaweed", a complex pattern of many fine details, with sharp-edged foliage in brighter green and small blue flowers on a dark green ground.
August 28, 2025 at 6:11 PM
morris-on-screen.bsky.social
The Living and the Dead, Series 1 Episode 1, 2017

"Indian", probably by George Gilbert Scott, 1868-70
Harriet Denning (Tallulah Haddon), a young woman in a white and blue 1890s day dress with loose wavy blond hair, sits on a chaise lounge draped in fabric in front of a wall papered in Morris & Co. “Indian” wallpaper, a historic revival unrealistic pattern of very thick plant stems and large stylized flowers, in gold tones on a dark blue background. Nathan Appleby (Colin Morgan), a man with dark hair and beard in 1890s waistcoat, shirtsleeves, trousers, and high boots, sits at a desk adjusting a phonograph horn. Small amounts of “Indian” wallpaper are visible under the window and behind the various pieces of decoration above his desk.
July 16, 2025 at 6:19 PM
morris-on-screen.bsky.social
Another Morris cushion spotted on Taskmaster @taskmaster.tv Season 17 - Episode 4, "Apropos of Apoppo"

William Morris, "Strawberry Thief", 1883 (alongside a sliver of "Snakeshead", 1876)
An slightly fisheye view of the Taskmaster study in series 17, with John Robins, Joanne McNally, and Sophie Willan seated at the table looking at a task. The decor theme is Victorian. Two cushions sit on the sofa at left, made with Morris & Co. "Snakeshead" and "Strawberry Thief" fabrics.
July 14, 2025 at 6:05 PM
morris-on-screen.bsky.social
The Lodgers, 2017

William Morris, “Pimpernell”, 1876

another past contribution from @petrabclark.bsky.social !
A young man in a blue shirt and black waistcoat, seen from shoulders up, bows his head in front of a wall covered in Morris & Co. “Pimpernell”, a swirling, symmetrical pattern with green background, light green steams and leaves, large peachy flowers and small white flowers.
July 11, 2025 at 5:32 PM
morris-on-screen.bsky.social
Phantom Thread, 2017

William Morris, "Fruit", 1866 (modern metallic colorway)
Setting: A room papered floor to ceiling with Morris & Co. "Fruit", a pattern of leaves, citrus, and pomegranates on a silvery blue metallic background. The room has white trim including a doorway, a chair rail, and inset panels above the chair rail; every divided section is papered with the same pattern. A large gilt-framed mirror sits on the mantle of a white fireplace, reflecting yet more wallpaper. Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) and Alma Elson (Vicky Krieps) sit at a breakfast table in the middle of the room. Reynolds is writing or sketching in a notebook on his lap. Alma is pouring tea from a silver pot.
June 17, 2025 at 6:38 PM
morris-on-screen.bsky.social
Lovecraft Country, Season 1 Episode 3, "Holy Ghost”, 2020

George Gilbert Scott, “Indian”, c. 1868-70

(yet another originally submitted by @petrabclark.bsky.social!)
Setting: A nineteenth-century style dining room with ornately carved wooden chairs around a marble-topped table. The table is covered in various old, dusty-look detritus including some books and an ice cream scoop. Against the wall and through a wide doorway, other furniture is draped in sheets. the walls are papered in Morris & Co. "Indian" in a gold on dark green or brown background. The design is a bold meandering stem with large highly stylized flowers. Two Black women stand in the doorway in 1950s clothing. One, a young woman in black blouse and gold trousers, stands with hands on hips looking into the room. The other, an older woman, wears a green dress and is speaking.
June 13, 2025 at 8:32 PM
morris-on-screen.bsky.social
"I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson", Season 2 Episode 1, 2021

William Morris, "Chrysanthemum”, 1877
fills the middle of the room into the foreground, surrounded by low Aesthetic-style wooden chairs with small red back cushions. There is a limited setting on the bare wood table: two place settings at the far ends of the table, a small ceramic tureen, and two lit candles in low crystal candle sticks. against the walls are a mid-height buffet and two tall glass-fronted china cabinets. The buffet displays some pieces of Aesthetic pottery. The walls are papered in a green-on-green colorway of Morris & Co. “Chrysanthemum” (see second image for description). Three people stand around the table: an older man in casual modern clothing, a younger man with long dark hair and a dark jacket over a white shirt with big flowing white cuffs, and a woman in a dark coat or dress. Morris & Co. “Chrysanthemum” wallpaper sample. A pattern of thin meandering stems and large blossoms and serrated leaves on a background fill of smaller simplified leaves and stems. The colorway is green-on-green, all in chalky distemper shades. The darkest green is the background, with the majority of the small and large foliage in the same shade of mid olive green. The central large poppy-style bloom with serrated petals is in a light, yellowish green and its stems are a lighter, mintier green than the rest of the pattern. The large namesake chrysanthemum blossoms’s rounded petals are another lighter shade of minty green, and the central gathered stamens olive green on dark green.
June 10, 2025 at 8:00 PM
morris-on-screen.bsky.social
Sanderson introduced several new colorways to their Morris & Co. products in the late 1960s to appeal to period tastes - a common practice throughout the history of Morris patterns (see today's "Pure" monochromes, for example!). The vivid blue Michaelmas Daisy seen here is one of my very favorites.
Sample of Morris & Co. “Michaelmas Daisy”, a pattern of repeating symmetrical bunches of daisies with dense foliage. The flowers are bright blue and the leaves ochre-bronze on a background of rich medium blue.
June 5, 2025 at 8:39 PM
morris-on-screen.bsky.social
Midsomer Murders, series 19 episode 6, “The Curse of the Ninth”, 2017

J.H. Dearle, “Michaelmas Daisy”, 1912 (blue and bronze colorway c. 1968-72)
Setting: A room with low white wainscoting. To the right, the wall above the wainscoting is also white. To the left, taking up most of the frame, is a wall where the wainscoting is topped with Morris & Co. “Michaelmas Daisy”, a pattern of repeating symmetrical bunches of daisies with dense foliage. The colorway is dark bronze leaves and bright blue flowers on a dark blue background. There is a half-height bookshelf in front of the wall, full of antique books and toppes with a bronze of a horse and rider and some Chinese porcelain. There is a portrait of a man on the wall, maybe 17th-century. To the right, the white wall has other framed pictures on it and a marble bust. There is an open door in the corner where the two men meet, white with white trim. Michael Falconer (James Fleet), a man dressed in black with grey hair and beard, is coming through the doorway into the room, followed by John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon).
June 5, 2025 at 8:33 PM
morris-on-screen.bsky.social
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, 2010, also featured another Morris & Co. paper:

William Morris, "Windrush", 1883 (designed as textile, modern red colorway)
A large group of people in somber modern clothing gathered around a table in a formal dining room. A man stands at the head of the table, speaking. Behind him, the wall is papered in Morris & Co. "Windrush", a pattern of meandering thin stems and large blooms, colorway pink on red.
June 4, 2025 at 6:33 PM
morris-on-screen.bsky.social
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark also features a paper by Morris's contemporary and friend Walter Crane, "The Sleeping Beauty" from 1879.

Shout out to @petrabclark.bsky.social for this spotting!
Kim Raphael (Katie Holmes) standing in a room papered with Walter Crane's "The Sleeping Beauty", a dense pattern of rose blooms and foliage with small figures intertwined, in shades of ochre gold. A dark paneled section of wall with Morris & Co. "Blackthorn" is visible at far left. A teddy bear in front of a section of Walter Crane's "The Sleeping Beauty", a dense ochre-colored pattern of roses with small figures intertwined.
May 27, 2025 at 10:36 PM
morris-on-screen.bsky.social
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, 2010

J.H. Dearle, “Blackthorn”, 1892 (modern red colorway)
Kim Raphael (Katie Holmes) looking through a doorway trimmed with very dark wood. The wall on the side of the doorway has dark wood wainscoting topped by Morris & Co. “Blackthorn”, a symmetrical pattern of branches and small white flowers on a dark red background.
May 27, 2025 at 10:30 PM
morris-on-screen.bsky.social
Wanderlust, 2018 (recurring set)

William Morris, "Strawberry Thief", 1883
Joy Richards (Toni Collette) sitting in an light brown leather armchair in front of a bookcase. There is a throw pillow beside her on the chair covered in Morris & Co. “Strawberry Thief” in a light blue colorway. The birds and strawberries of the pattern aren’t visible, but green foliage and small cream and pink flowers can be seen. Joy Richards (Toni Collette) again sitting in an light brown leather armchair in front of a bookcase, but in a different outfit. There is a throw pillow beside her on the chair covered in Morris & Co. “Strawberry Thief” in a light blue colorway. The birds and strawberries of the pattern aren’t visible, but green foliage and a large cream tulip can be seen.
May 22, 2025 at 2:43 PM
morris-on-screen.bsky.social
The Gilded Age version is interesting because it has the chalkier effect of the original distemper-printed papers, but the colors of the motifs are more in line with the modern colorway. Possibly a paper no longer made, or a different manufacturer.
Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) sitting at a desk in the same room as the first image, with the wallpaper discussed behind her.
May 21, 2025 at 3:07 PM
morris-on-screen.bsky.social
This is another case where the colorway is probably a modern Morris & Co. invention, though it's quite close to the original 1870s style. Left is an original sample of the design from one of the Brooklyn Museum sample books, right is a modern Morris & Co. colorway.
Sample of Morris & Co. "Chrysanthemum", with large cream chrysanthemum blossoms and pink poppies on stems with elaborate blue-green serrated foliage. The background is a dark green with yellow-gold infill of simple lobed foliage. Wallpaper sample of modern Morris & Co. "Chrysanthemum", with red-pink chrysanthemums and yellow poppies, brighter green stem foliage, and a dark blue ground with dark grey-grean infill foliage.
May 21, 2025 at 3:01 PM
morris-on-screen.bsky.social
The Gilded Age, Season 1 (episode unknown), 2022

William Morris, “Chrysanthemum”, 1877
Setting: An elaborate late-19th-century interior with Belter & Co.-style Rococo Revival sofa and chair in dark wood and dark red damask upholstry, windows hung in pink-red curtains with gold trim, and wall papered with Morris & Co. “Chrysanthemum”, a meander pattern of closely-spaced large blooms in cream and dark pink on a dark blue ground. The room also holds objects like a small landscape painting in a thick gold frame standing on a display easel and a small marble statue by the window. Ada Brook (Cynthia Nixon) stands by the window in an 1880s day dress set, a red jacket and skirt with gold underskirt and cuffs, with tight bodice and large bustle.
May 21, 2025 at 2:57 PM
morris-on-screen.bsky.social
The colorway here seems to be an ultra-saturated version of the modern Morris & Co. red-orange colorway (likely sold by another company). I haven't seen 19th-century examples with the red-orange tulips.
Sample of modern Morris & Co. "Pimpernel" wallpaper with large light red-orange tulips, mint green swirling tulip foliage, and white pimpernels, on a dark green ground.
May 19, 2025 at 3:35 PM
morris-on-screen.bsky.social
Advertisement, Gusto, 2025 (as seen on Instagram)

William Morris, “Pimpernel”, 1876 (modern colorway)
Screenshot of an Instagram video ad. A woman looks at the camera, speaking, while waxing a man’s eyebrow. Behind the woman is a wall papered with Morris & Co. “Pimpernel”, a swirling mirrored pattern of narrow light green leaves and very large, loose-petaled red-orange tulips interspersed with much smaller yellow five-petaled pimpernel blossoms, on a dark background.
May 19, 2025 at 3:27 PM
morris-on-screen.bsky.social
Marcella, Season 2 Episode 7, 2018

William Morris, "Fruit", 1865-66

yet another original @petrabclark.bsky.social submission, I am forever in her debt for all her Morris spottings!
A view down a staircase and through a doorway into a room, where Marcella Backland (Anna Friel) stands looking up the stairs at the camera. The staircase is simple and enclosed by walls, which are papered in Morris & Co. "Fruit", a pattern of leaves, citrus, and pomegranates on a cream background. The room at bottom of the stairs has terra cotta tiles and simple wood furniture. Marcella Backland (Anna Friel) moving through a hallway papered in Morris & Co. "Fruit", a pattern of leaves, citrus, and pomegranates on a cream background. She is turned away from the camera and looking into a sparsely furnished, white-painted room at left. Another person is coming up the stairs and into shot at right.
May 14, 2025 at 8:48 PM
morris-on-screen.bsky.social
This modern Morris & Co. colorway of Compton is similar to the original, but there are several differences. Most strikingly, in the modern version all the foliage is green and the prominent poppy motif is very red, whereas in the original, the poppy has red foliage and a lighter flower.
Detail of modern Morris & Co. "Compton" wallpaper, centered on a poppy motif with a red flower and blue-green leaves. Detail of historic version of Morris & Co. "Compton" wallpaper, centered on poppy motif with red foliage and white-pink flower.
May 13, 2025 at 2:53 PM
morris-on-screen.bsky.social
Midsomer Murders, Season 14 Episode 4, "The Oblong Murders”, 2011

J.H. Dearle, “Compton”, 1896 (modern Morris & Co. colorway)
John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) sits on a bed in a hotel room, close to the camera at left of screen. Behind the headboard there is a wall papered in Morris & Co. “Compton”, a patten with prominent pink poppies, white tulips, pink honeysuckle, and green foliage on a dark background. To the right there is an alcove with blue-painted panelling and an inset safe. Barnaby is looking at the safe. To far right, there is a glimpse of window with a heavy curtain pulled back.
May 13, 2025 at 2:44 PM
morris-on-screen.bsky.social
Upload, Season 1 Episode 5, 2020

J.H. Dearle, "Seaweed", 1901 (red flower colorway modern Morris & Co.)
A hotel lobby space. To the right, a high-backed leathwer sofa sits in front of a wall papered in Morris & Co. "Seaweed" in a dark ground, red-pink blossom colorway. (See pattern description, next image.) The wall has a two-light sconce on it. To left, a curtain opens beside a doorway through to another lobby space with a round lobby seat and a crystal chandelier. Nathan Brown (Robbie Amell) stands at center, looking down at and speaking to a seated child, Dylan (Rhys Slack). The back of Nora Antony (Andy Allo)'s head fills the frame at right. "Seaweed", an intricate pattern of skinny leaves and meandering thin stems in shades of green interspersed, with red-pink blooms, all on a very dark brown or black ground filled with tiny white dots.
May 12, 2025 at 7:18 PM
morris-on-screen.bsky.social
A Discovery of Witches, Series 1 Episode 2, 2019

Bramble, Kate Faulkner, before 1898
Setting: A complicated hallway space, with wall surfaces at a variety of distances from the camera. To the left, furthest from the camera, is an alcove space with a door to another room. At middle is a section of wall mid-distance from the camera. To right, close to the camera, is a sloping staircase ceiling. The straight walls all have simple, scuffed dark wood wainscoting. The upper parts of the walls and the entire staircase ceiling are papered in Morris & Co. “Bramble”, a dense green-on-green foliate pattern. See full pattern description in next image. Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer) stands at the door in the alcove as though listening to check if anyone is inside. Sample of "Bramble" wallpaper, a pattern of large light green bramble/blackberry leaves, small white bramble/blackberry flowers, small dark brambles/blackberries, and mostly obscured light brown stems on a darker green ground. The foliage is very thick, mostly filling the visual plane.
May 9, 2025 at 2:32 PM
morris-on-screen.bsky.social
As far as I've been able to see, "Bird and Pomegranate" was only issued on a cream ground originally. The first Sanderson reissues of Morris & Co. patterns in the 1950s included a dark blue colorway. The dark brown version used in Enola Holmes seems to be from the 21st-century Sanderson reissues.
Sample of "Bird and Pomegranate" by Kathleen Kersey, a wallpaper pattern of intertwined branches with green and blue foliage on a cream background. The branches have pomegranates on them, also in the cream color but with red, green, and white stippling. Most of the fruits are open, eposing their red-and-white seeds. At left, a blue tit flies towards one open fruit. A larger sample of "Bird and Pomegranate", with similar coloring but on a deep blue background. More fruit and birds are visible. Sample of "Bird and Pomegranate", with similar pattern coloring but this time on a very dark brown background.
May 5, 2025 at 5:19 PM