Edward Burne-Jones sketched this affectionate cartoon on a sheet of notepaper; it shows his friend Morris giving a demonstration at the first exhibition of the newly-founded Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society.
The Society wanted to provide its members with a platform for promoting their hand-crafted products. They organised lectures and demonstrations at their exhibitions to help potential customers appreciate the skills involved. Morris is weaving: he is concentrating hard with his back to the audience, his chubby body crouched over the loom as he weaves the shuttle in and out.
Morris was always a hands-on craftsman, and wouldn’t introduce any technique into his workshops until he had mastered it himself. He thought no-one should design a craft object without a full understanding of how it was going to be produced.
