# Lotus

- By: May Morris (Produced by Morris & Co., London (English, 1875–1940); Embroidered by the Decorative Arts Society, Chicago (American,…)
- Date: Design by 1888, made 1888
- Medium: Silk, warp-float faced twill weave; embroidered in satin and stem stitches
- Classification: Textile
- Dimensions: Overall: 263.9 × 120.9 cm (103 7/8 × 47 5/8 in.); Embroidery: 257.2 × 113 cm (101 1/4 × 44 1/2 in.)
- Credit line: Gift of Mrs. John J. Glessner
- Museum: [Art Institute of Chicago](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/74514)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/9d607458-1488-5177-fc44-d396b38116d1/full/843,/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Little Ones profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

Frances Glessner was an avid embroiderer and made a number of decorative textiles for her house on Prairie Avenue. This large panel, which was a door curtain or portiere, was one of four such curtains used in the parlor of the house. In a diary entry of November 17, 1888, she wrote, “My curtains came home from the Decorative Arts Society,” which makes it clear that the design was purchased from Morris & Co. but embroidered in Chicago by members of the Decorative Arts Society, probably supervised by Mrs. Glessner.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0