Later Tapestry Work of John Henry Dearle

Illustration: John Henry Dearle. Arras tapestry portiere, 1910.

John Henry Dearle is probably the best-known name associated with Morris & Co after that of William Morris himself and his lifelong friend and oftentimes creative companion Edward Burne-Jones. Dearle's input into the company cannot be stressed enough. He worked himself up from the retail side and by the 1890s, he had become, in all but name, the director of the business. So much so, that on the death of Morris in 1896 Dearle took over the sole running of the company, with no opposition.

There has been a trend in recent years to play down the role and influence of Morris on the company of Morris & Co, and equally to play up the role and influence of Dearle. However, although Dearle undoubtedly had an influence over the company as Morris gradually relinquished control due to other commitments and eventual illness, it seems less than clear what that influence was. While there are subtle differences between the design work of Morris and Dearle there was never enough to be particularly noticeable and there must have been an effort on Dearle's part to tailor work that would fit the mould of the founder of Morris & Co.

Illustration: John Henry Dearle. Arras tapestry wall panel, 1910.

While Dearle maintained the standard of Morris textiles and wallpapers after Morris death, with many original Morris designs being continually produced along with Dearle's, there was an increasingly tired look about the work, particularly as the decorative arts entered the new twentieth century, where many were looking for new and inspiring decorative ideas to suit the new century.

Dearle's tapestry work produced after the death of Morris is perhaps a fitting example of the stagnation and eventual descent into pastiche that the company suffered during the first few decades of the twentieth century That Morris & Co had lost its way even before the death of Morris himself was obvious to many. The company fully depended on the back catalogue design work of the company and perhaps too fully depended on the name of Morris himself, rather than developing that of new talent. This would have no doubt taken the company in another direction than that set out by the founder, but at least the company could have remained at the forefront of the developing decorative arts of the twentieth century rather than languishing in the past glories of the nineteenth century.

Illustration: John Henry Dearle. Mille Fleurs tapestry hanging, 1917.

Dearle always seemed more of a caretaker than an artistic or creative director. He was both the protector and perpetuation manager of the Morris name. This deification of the Morris spirit and character through that of the company was obviously more important than the future direction of that company. It became clearly apparent to many critics and public alike that Morris & Co had lost any creative direction, and customers subsequently went elsewhere.

Although to be fair the later tapestry work designed and produced by Dearle through Morris & Co, did have some merit in its own right, it had lost much of its original appeal. The first example shown here is probably the best known of Dearle's later tapestry pieces and although Morris-like in guise, it does have an independent feel to it. Still strictly within the traditional English Arts & Crafts genre, although produced in 1910, it shows little if any contemporary traits. While some may see that as a positive aspect, it is perhaps a more puzzling one to take for a competitive decorative company. Perhaps more tellingly it shows either intransigence to changing tastes or obliviousness to the world of the twentieth century.

Illustration: John Henry Dearle. The Brook Arras tapestry, 1917.

By the time that we come to the last piece shown here which was produced by the company in 1917, we realise how far the company has come from its heyday of the later nineteenth century. There is little to praise in this tapestry example, which no doubt would have shocked and disappointed Morris himself. To be fair it was produced in the middle of the First World War and could conceivably be passed off as a form of sentimental nostalgia. However, placing this example against the output of the Omega Workshops, which in 1917 was producing work that was both contemporary and challenging despite the war, shows that Morris & Co had reached its creative nadir.

Dearle himself carried on the company name until his own death in 1932 and unfortunately, the company staggered on until the start of the Second World War when it was finally laid to rest. That Morris & Co had outlived its usefulness and its creative journey had reached an end cannot be doubted, that it was the fault of Dearle is perhaps a little harsh. Dearle was no doubt a talented designer and worked well as a manager under the auspices of Morris. However, once Morris was no longer available to shoulder the responsibility of the creative direction of  Morris & Co, it lost direction, momentum and cohesion. Ultimately, it has to be assumed that Dearle was a good second in command, but perhaps not a commander himself. 


Further reading links:
William Morris Full-Color Patterns and Designs (Dover Pictorial Archives)
William Morris: Patterns & Designs (International Design Library)
Designs of William Morris (Phaidon Miniature Editions)
William Morris (Temporis)
William Morris
William Morris on Art and Socialism
The Beauty of Life: William Morris and the Art of Design
V&A Pattern: William Morris: (Hardcover with CD)
William Morris and Morris & Co.
William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Home
William Morris
William Morris Decor and Design
William Morris Designs CD-ROM and Book (Full-Color Electronic Design Series) 

John Henry Dearle, Greenery 17x22
Vine - John Henry Dearle: Counted Cross Stitch Chart (Large print)
"Daffodil Chintz," 1875 (Printed Cotton) Giclee Poster Print by John Henry Dearle, 18x24