Victorian Things: Embroidered Panel by Walter Crane

The design of this embroidered wool panel by Walter Crane (1845-1915) originates from one of the artist's illustrations for the children's book The Story of The Tempest from the Play of Shakespeare Retold by Alice Spencer Hoffman published in London in 1894 (shown below).

The eight famous engravings included in this book had appeared the year before as an unbound portfolio in 650 numbered copies and were sold as a separate art collection signed by both Walter Crane (DNB bio here; Wiki bio here) and the printer/engraver Duncan Dallas.

Measuring 85 cm by 113 cm (approximately 2' 9" by 3' 8"), this panel shows Miranda and Prospero in Act I, Scene 2. Prospero's line "By accident most strange, bountiful Fortune / Now my dear lady, hath mine enemies / Brought to this shore" appears at its foot. Click on the image to see an enlargement.

Resources:

The Wonderful World of Walter Crane (Whitworth Art Gallery, University of Manchester)

Walter Crane, Reminiscences (London, 1907)

Isabel Spencer, Walter Crane (London, 1975)