William Morris, Biography Catalog by nerdy1198

William Morris: A Return to Crafting Art

Table Of Contents:

Early Life to University Enrollment

Exposure to Architecture and Jane Burden

Proprietor, Writer, Philosopher and Political Theorist

Artistic Legacy

Criticisms and the End of the Arts and Crafts Movement

References and Colophon

William Morris, photograph by Frederick Hollyer, 1884 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Sir Edward Burne-Jones (On the left); William Morris (On the right), photograph by Frederick Hollyer, 1874 © National Portrait Gallery

Signature of William Morris, date unknown © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Portrait of Mary Morris, photo by Frederick Hollyer, 1890 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Early Life to University Enrollment

ollowing the Industrial Revolution of the early 1800s, it grew obvious to William Morris (1834-1896) that commercialization and capitalism held a tight grip over the Western world. While the Arts and Crafts movement wouldn’t see a proper beginning until the 1860s, this man would prove to spearhead the style with his approach to focus on individual craftsmanship over commercial manufacture. The wealthy Englishman and eldest son to a wine importer spent his younger years among the tranquil countryside of Walthamstow, east of London. Due to an immense family wealth, Morris could afford to explore careers and leisurely activities without the burden of committing to a single job. The man paid visits to numerous parklands, forests and ancient churches, he gravitated towards a beauty he could not fathom during his adolescence. In 1853, Morris enrolled in Exeter College, located at Oxford University, to study for the position of clergyman. During his time there, another individual by the name of Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898) entered a friendship with Morris. The duo joined a student organization, dubbed as “The Brotherhood”, where Morris was further introduced to archaic, romantic tales of chivalry, self-sacrifice, and other medieval traditions. These are ideas which found residency in the aesthetic of the Arts and Crafts movement, incorporating styles akin to medieval art while reproducing the visual forms of nature. Great admiration and inspiration bubbled inside Morris, this translated into a passion expressed through poetry. William Morris found himself always with a writing utensil in his hand, he proceeded to publish numerous poems, fiction, and philosophical documents under his name from the age of 24 towards his death, where his daughter Mary (May) Morris (1862-1938), an artistan and major contribution to the movement , would publish unreleased literatures.

“I do not want art for a few; any more than education for a few; or freedom for a few.” –William Morris

Portrait of Philip Speakman Webb, brown ink wash on paper, 1873, painted by Charles Fairfax Murray © National Portrait Gallery, London

Portrait of Jane Morris, photograph by Harry F Phillips, approximately 1914 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

William Morris and Philip Webb, Red House (featuring garden with well), photograph by Steve Cadman, Bexleyheath, England, 1860

Architectural drawing of the Red House by Philip Webb, 1859, England. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Exposure to Architecture and Jane Burden

Writing took a backseat to Morris’ focus as when he travelled to France in the 1850s, he and BurneJones opted to become artists. Now graduated, William Morris worked at the Oxford architectural office with another youthful architect, Philip Webb (18311915), an office owned by George Edmund Street (1824-1881), a Neo-Gothic architect. This commitment was short-lived; however, Morris eventually found the monotony too unbearable and departed eight months into his position to pursue a career in painting. Burne-Jones accompanied the man, which would prove beneficial to Morris as Burne-Jones was acquainted with an artist by the name of Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882). Rossetti allowed the pair to join a team of muralists who were commissioned by Oxford Universality. During this time, Morris found much difficulty in producing satisfying work with his artistic efforts, although he encountered Jane Burden (1839-1914), who worked as a model and would eventually become Morris’ wife and muse. She was seamstress and embroiderer, but would become recognized by Morris and the movement as the embodiment of the Pre-Raphaelite ideal of beauty. Morris and Jane attempted to find a place to call home, but each commercially-available option left them dissatisfied, so Morris commissioned Philip Webb to construct a house in Bexleyheath, England. The completed project now bore the name, Red House (1860), a Gothic-inspired establishment unique against the mass-produced alternatives. William Morris found great pleasure in personally handling the décor layout of his abode, a genuine beauty he experienced back in his youth. This mindset of “art for art’s sake” would eventually spread to those in Morris’ social circle and, while hestitant initially, would take the advice of his colleagues to pursue a career which adhered to his sentiments and allowed creative integrity before profit.

“If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” –William Morris

Proprietor, Writer, Philosopher and Political Theorist

Following a world fair that was held in London, 1851, Morris befriended and united with six companions to establish an art-decoration agency, Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. (1861–1875), a creative firm dedicated to handmade, high quality craft. This venture turned successful and many craftsmen of varying arts joined, including tile makers, furniture makers and potters. In addition, this allowed William Morris to continue his position as a pattern designer for fabrics. The agency would rebrand as Morris and Company in 1875 to promote Morris as proprietor. One fabric design, “Rose” (1883), clearly demonstrates commendable drawing capabilities and consciousness to natural forms in botany. Many decades would pass until an actual rose species would be named after the illustrator and designer, Rosa “William Morris” following the centennial of the University of East London. Meanwhile at Morris and Co., Morris produced wallpapers and printed fabrics with inspiration from gardens and flora. Morris remained stubborn on the primary focus for unique, handcrafted production, this sentiment spilled over into his writing as he composed The Earthly Paradise (1868-1870) in lengthy volumes. Within these pages, he voices a great distaste for commercialism. This notion would sprout into the underline force which would define the Arts and Crafts movement of Europe, the movement itself also referred to as the “Craftsman Style”. Morris found much of advertising to be deceptive, so he involved himself with the organization Society for Checking the Abuses of Public Advertising. This extreme disgust against mass production and the industrial system drove him to adopt socialism. With his book News from Nowhere (1980), there is an expressed yearning for a world where handcrafted art is constantly in demand. He eventually grew out of design to pursue writing, which is how he expressed most of his thoughts on politics and philosophy.

“Apart from the desire to produce beautiful things, the leading passion of my life has been and is hatred of modern civilization.” –William Morris

Image of the prologue of “The Earthly Paradise”, written by William Morris, 1868

Rose, designed by William Morris with pencil, pen and ink, watercolour on paper, 1883

Starting top-left and going clockwise: “Strawberry Thief ” (1883), “Chrysanthemum” (1877), “Apple” (1887), “African Marigold” (1876) textile and wallpaper designs by William Morris. © Morris & Co.

Artistic Legacy

During this departure, others sought to continue Morris’ sentiments of rural, curvilinear imagery and artistic development against machine production. One architect who was touched by these notions was Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo (1851-1942), who formed The Century Guild, an organization which prided itself on the preservation of handcrafted work by artists. While this particular guild ultimately disbanded, the Home Arts and Industries Association, created by Eglantyne Louisa Jebb (1845-1925), continued the practices of The Century Guild. A Scottish architect named Charles Rennie Mackintosh (18681928) was one of many people to become inspired by Art Noveau and William Morris’ work, evidence indicates that both contacted each other regularly via handwritten letters.

“The past is not dead, it is living in us, and will be alive in the future which we are now helping to make.” –William Morris

Criticisms and the End of the Arts and Crafts Movement

Many in the years to come would become greatly affected by the organic design popularized with the Arts and Crafts style. As such, the movement would return evolved as Art Nouveau in 1890. Although the mentality of Art Nouveau would focus more on distancing artwork and architecture from the historical, decorative imagery associated with William Morris. Of course, ideologies changed as the movement matured. A major shift in perspective was evident in the Americas as, unlike their British and European counterparts, the American side of the movement attempted to merge creative integrity with capitalism. The independent craftsmanship of these works was seen as a treasured commodity, so a public demand increased to incite more mechanical support to increase the supply and the rate it was produced. Thus, the American Craftsman Style embraced machines as creators alongside the artist. Ironically, in William Morris’ desire for creations built solely on artistic integrity, artists of future generations sought a union of artist sentiments with commercialism. This shift extended to book design and all forms of artistic expression, although Morris was most prolific with book design. Morris utilized personal signatures, complex borders and ornaments which were repeated in strict patterns and placements, this is major concept in commercial design. The aging movement was eventually confronted with harsh realities of its style, one facet being the labor-intensive nature of crafting unique, intricate designs. High prices could allow artists to continue their craft, although only the wealthy demographic could truly afford to assimilate this style. Various design firms which previously aligned themselves with Morris and his approach to artistry soon utilized machinery to increase the market reach. Another blow struck the movement as changing times brought forth new audiences with distinctive tastes, leaving this era of art as a remnant of artistic stubbornness over adaptation.

“The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.” –William Morris

References: https://www.finestwallpaper.com/store/c65/Morris https://www.theartstory.org/movement-arts-andcrafts https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/ https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/introducing-william-morris https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/m/mary-may-morris/ Meggs’ History of Graphic Design – 6th Edition. Meggs, Philip B. Purvis, Alston W. This booklet was published by Joshua Nicolas Ramirez on November 26, 2018. This catalog is set in 12 pt. Adobe Garamond Pro while the image captions are typed in italicized, 10 pt. font. The initial typeface, a old-style serif, was created by Claude Garamont in 1530, rereleased by Adobe in 1989.