Kathleen Allington

Kathleen Allington
Born
Kathleen Kersey

1889
DiedUnknown
EducationWilliam Morris
Known forTextile designer at Morris & Co.
SpouseCharles Allington[1]

Kathleen Allington (née Kersey 1889) was a British textile designer trained by the artist and craftsman William Morris. Allington designed wallpapers released by Morris & Co..[1]

Designs

Three designs published by Morris & Co. are attributed to Allington, as Kersey: "Arbutus" (1913),[2][3] "Verdure" (1913),[4] and "Bird and Pomegranate"(c. 1926).[5]

Allington is also known to have created further designs for textiles, wallpaper, tapestries and furnishing fabrics.[3] The Victoria and Albert Museum holds several of her drawings including a pattern featuring green parakeets with flowers and fruits,[6] monkeys and squirrels,[7] and pink and green parrots.[8] In 2025, the latter, now titled "Parrots", was adapted and printed on a range of items, including aprons and oven gloves, for sale in the Victoria and Albert Museum Shop.[9]

Notes

  1. ^ a b Hardy, Emma. A Modern but Useful Art: William Morris, Jeffrey and Co. and the Morris & Co. Wallpapers 1864 c.1928 (PDF) (Doctor of Philosophy in Art History thesis). The Open University. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  2. ^ "Arbutus". Art Institute Chicago. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  3. ^ a b "Roll of Wallpaper (Arbutus) (Primary Title)". Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  4. ^ "Verdure Wallpaper ca. 1955 (printed)". Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  5. ^ "Bird and Pomegranate wallpaper (designed c.1926, printed 1950-1990)". William Morris Gallery. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  6. ^ "Drawing". Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  7. ^ "Drawing". Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  8. ^ "Drawing". Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  9. ^ "Kathleen Kersey kitchen textiles set". V&ASHop. Retrieved 2025-09-02.