These photographs show the first two sections of The Holy Grail tapestries woven by Morris & Co. between 1891 and 1894. The tapestries were commissioned by William Knox D’Arcy for his dining room at Stanmore Hall, now in the Borough of Harrow in North-East London. Like many Morris & Co. tapestries, the design was a group effort with the figures designed by Edward Burne-Jones, the heraldic elements by William Morris and the background and floral details by John Henry Dearle.
Morris & Co. went on to produce two more versions of the tapestries with minor differences, these photographs of the original tapestries may have been displayed in the Morris & Co. showroom to advertise their tapestries. The photographs could also have been used by the Morris & Co. weavers to create the later versions of the tapestries. The photographs are part of a set of three, and at least one other set exists and is in the collection of the William Morris Society.
This set of photographs was given to the Gallery in 1962 by Miss Frances Lefroy who also donated many of fabrics and furnishings from her parent’s house, which was decorated by Morris & Co.
