William Morris Strawberry Thief Tea Towel

Registered in 1883 and printed about 1917–23 at Merton Abbey Tapestry Works (British, founded 1881), Strawberry Thief, featured on our tea towel, is one of William Morris’s (British, 1834–1896) most iconic creations. The inspiration for this kaleidoscopic textile in the Museum’s holdings was derived from the designer’s country home, Kelmscott Manor, where a community of thieving thrushes would pluck the strawberries from his garden.