May Day 1895 - Radical Tea Towel

Radical Tea Towels - find your favourite cause or inspiring figurehead from history.

May Day 1895

For the English artist and book illustrator Walter Crane, art ‘was at once creative and adaptive, capable of lifting men's thoughts onto the loftiest plane.’ 

The first half of his career was dedicated to inspiring children with his book illustrations. He is considered one of the most influential children’s book creators of his generation, substantially raising standards of book illustration. In the second half of his career he used his art to inspire the workers. He became interested in liberal politics in the 1860s and in 1884, he joined the Social Democratic Federation. A didactic element began to underlie much of his work, and he contributed weekly illustrations to the socialist periodicals Justice and The Commonwealth, as well as producing annual illustrations celebrating May Day – such as the one featured on this tea towel ­– for the socialist magazine The Clarion.

Dimensions 48 x 70cm

Made from heavyweight, unbleached organic cotton with a hanging loop.

Designed in Wales and ethically printed, cut and sewn in England