About this pattern
Sweet Briar was designed around 1912 by John Henry Dearle, who trained under William Morris and was his chief designer by 1890. Dearle went on designing for decades after Morris died in 1896, and this thorny wild rose is one of his later papers. The V&A notes that his work was often credited to Morris. A mid-century print of Sweet Briar is in the V&A (E.1405-1979).
The light colorway sets slender briar stems climbing in loose vertical trails, hung with red-pink wild roses, small berries and pointed sage and teal leaves, all on a chalky off-white. From a distance the stems become narrow columns, lifting the wall without the stiffness of stripes. Above wainscoting in a hallway it adds height. It brightens a small cloakroom, and in a north-facing sitting room the pale ground holds onto whatever daylight comes in.
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