What was the world of textiles out of which William Morris' practice emerged? And what inspired his designs? This talk examines the bright, simplistic embroidery that had a monopoly on British stitching before the Arts and Crafts movement and explores the historical textiles Morris took inspiration from for his own textile designs. 

Dr Isabella Rosner is the curator of textiles at the Royal School of Needlework and research consultant at Witney Antiques. She is a 2023 BBC/AHRC New Generation Thinker and author of Stitching Freedom: Embroidery and Incarceration (Common Threads Press). Isabella also hosts the Sew What? podcast about historical needlework and those who stitched it.