John Henry Dearle (1859—1932) was Morris & Co.’s chief designer, trained by Morris in the established house style, as Morris withdrew from the business in the late 1880s, Dearle’s style matured. During this period, his patterns were characterised by strong
symmetrical forms, drawing inspiration from designs used in Iran, Turkey, and Italy. This artistic direction was celebrated in fabrics such as ‘Persian Brocatel’ and ‘Ispahan’, named after the city of Isfahan in Iran. Dearle’s continuing interst in Iranian surface design is shown in this later wallpaper, ‘Persian’, designed 1904. It was printed in two colourways- a green and blue colourway.
