WILLIAM
MORRIS
T
able of
contents 1 2 Politics 3 Architecture 4 Patterns 5 The Legend The Man
1
The Man
W
illiam Morris was as man of many talents, born on
March 24, 1834. He pursued many different areas of craft including: architecture, furniture, ceramics, textiles, book binding, glasswork, metalwork, embroidery, and the art of fine printing (Hitchmough 11). He attended Exeter College and then later Oxford where he met Edward Burne-Jones, and Charles Faulkner and discovered his avid love of poetry. Morris also became proficient in the language of Iceland, Icelandic, because of his love for the Nordic poetry there. In his lifetime he was known as a great poet a great lover of craft. Now, as we look back at him, he is known most for one thing: his outstanding skills as a designer (Wilhide 9-10).
Morris was first inspired by John Ruskin, who was
very against Industrialism. One major effect of Industrialism
is that the workplace and home became separated, whereas
the worker, it endangered the welfare of society,” (Bowman 19).
before, they had always been one in the same for many trades.
He was a very active person in the community. In his opinion,
Factories and machines became the location and tools of trade.
everyone needed art and beauty. They also needed something to
He believed that machines replacing hand skills led to an
believe in.
individual’s creativity becoming non-existent, and then they
Morris was very active in the political circles as well. He
become “…mindless tools in a production line,” (Bowman 17).
strongly believed in Socialism, and “was a key figure in
In this way, Morris completely agreed. “He encouraged hand
early socialist groups, a tireless and impassioned campaigner
craftsmanship, which in turn would enable workers to achieve
and speaker,” (Wilhide 9). He entered politics in 1876 as a
satisfaction and pleasure in their work,” (Morris 3). He strongly
Liberal and spoke publically numerous times throughout his
believed in the craft itself, and its power to enrich people’s lives.
life. Anything he did, he did with zeal, and politics were no
“For Morris the loss of crafts not only threatened the dignity of
exception. Breaking away from traditional political groups, he
formed his own in 1884: The Socialist League (Baker 13). He
hardships were increasingly common, and the social classes
believed in Socialism because he believed that society needed
became more and more divided, he looked for ways to unite
a change, and that change could not come from any existing
them. “Furthermore, Morris demanded that good quality
government party.
furnishings should be available to all and not just the wealthy,”
Morris wanted to find a way to make life better for one and
(Morris 3). By creating things, such as wallpaper, that everyone
all. Everything Morris did, his poetry, his political activeness,
could afford, it broke down barriers, saying that everyone is still
and his designing, all had one common goal or theme: to better
a person, and still worth having beauty in their life.
people’s life. The time in which he was alive played a crucial
His love for architecture also played into his dissatisfaction with
role in all of this, because with the government being the way
society. No one seemed to care about all the old buildings, the
it was, more Parliamentary politics, it provided him motivation
ones that held so much history and ancient beauty. They wanted
to make the change. He was not satisfied with how things were.
to “restore” them, but in ways that took away from the original
He felt that the changes coming into place were taking away
beauty they already had. “Morris’s public agitation at the time
the individuals, and that meant the loss of so much creativity.
also involved his distress at the increased restoration of some
Not just in the work field, but in the political world as well.
of Britain’s most significant early buildings…The Society (The
He felt society being shoved into this little box with rules and
Athenaeum) organized a system of registering and monitoring
structures to limit what could and could not be done.
buildings in need of structural repair and offered advice,” (Parry
The economics of the time play in as well. Because financial
20).
Morris spent much time writing political articles, and attend
off. Morris still remained extremely active in the group though,
protests on top of all his many other tasks. He was a full time
and in 1890 it became renamed the Hammersmith Socialist
business man, a designer, a husband, a father, and a poet, yet he
Society, and met at the Kelmscott House, where his daughters,
somehow found time to fit them all in. “It is difficult to know
Jenny and May also became a part of the Society. All the while,
how Morris found time for writing his political articles and for
Morris is still actively in his design business, making patterns,
giving lectures and attending the various meetings….many of
textiles and of course, his poetry.
which were organized outside of London,” (Parry 20). At one
point he was actually arrested “for obstruction in July 1886
exceptionally well known is his work in designing patterns. He
and let off with a fine, much to the amusement of the press,”
designed countless wallpapers, textiles and embroideries. He
(Parry 20). Such a consequence never deterred him for a minute
liked things that were elegant and tasteful, but something that
though. He was a strong public figure, and many looked to him
would simply give life to the room. Another element commonly
to set the standards in what they should settle for, and what
associated with his name is the Red House.
they should fight for.
The house itself was designed by Philip Webb, it was made out
On November 13, 1887, known as “Bloody Sunday,” there
red bricks and specifications were approved of by Morris himself
was an act of violence by the police on the Socialists that were
(Parry 16). They both had a love for medieval design and for old
gathered to protest there. This caused a major drop in the
buildings. Morris moved in shortly after his marriage to Jane
participation of the Socialist group, but it did not scare them all
on April 26, 1859. They had two daughters; one in January of
Morris is known for many things, but one area that is
2
Politics
1861, Jane Alice or Jenny, and another in March of 1862, Mary
workshop and have a target audience available. But it also had a
or May (Parry 16). The Red House became a headquarters for
devastating effect on his marriage.
friends and fellow designers to come and create. They would
use their skills to decorate the house with painting, embroidery,
quite close with Rossetti, a friend and colleague to Morris. She
textiles, etc.
“frequently visited his studio and house in Cheyne Walk…
At which point their relationship transcended friendship is
The meetings at the Red House inspired the beginning
Once they moved to London, his wife Jane became
of other commercial companies like it. In April 1861 Morris,
debatable,” (Parry 17). Once Morris became aware of this, he
Marshall, Faulkner and Co. was born, which later became just
threw himself into work, and into poetry as a diversion. He
Morris & Co. The things they designed served his purpose.
started visiting Iceland in 1871, and during those times Rossetti
He wanted all of his creations to be “designed to engage
spent most of the time at the Kelmoscott Manor, where they
(the) public, (and) promote critical appreciation of the arts in
had a joint tenancy, with Jane and the children. It was also
everyday use,” (Hitchmough 20). Because of their success, the
during this time when he started voicing his unhappiness to his
company began to expand and move. Morris became more and
closest friend and confidante Georgie Burnes-Jones (Parry 19).
more the leader of this company, as well as more involved in the
Adding to the pressure and stress of his home life, his daughter,
work itself, resulting in a move from the Red House to London
Jenny, developed epilepsy. In that day and age it was viewed as
in 1865. This was both a good and bad thing for Morris.
an incurable illness and a cause for great distress. He was very
Business wise, London provided a chance to expand into a
often away, but he frequently wrote letters home to his family,
3
Architecture
4
Patterns
and cared very deeply for his daughters, Jenny in particular. During his time away and his time in Iceland he spent years preparing a collection of poetry to be published, writing many pieces to include. The collection is titled The Earthly Paradise. The publishing of the collection brought him a famous reputation until his death. Many of the pieces reflected his inner turmoil in regards to his personal life. He used his work as a way to examine himself inside and used it as a way to create, even in the depths of pain and despair. Through it all he wrote 40,000 lines of poetry. Also during this time in 1857, he joined a group in a project to decorate the new Oxford Union hall.
Meanwhile, “In 1864 and 1866 Morris produced his first three designs for
wallpaper,” (Wilhide 24). They were the Daisy, Trellis and Fruit designs. At the time none of them sold well because “partly under the influence of Pugin and Owen-Jones, public taste moved more towards design themes of a more abstract nature,” but later Daisy became the best seller for fifty years (Baker 69). When Morris set out to design these patterns he recalled the principles Pugin had written about in 1849, “I trust, therefore, that this work may be the means of leading designers back to first principles…It is impossible to improve on the works of God; and the natural outlines of leaves, flowers, etc. must be more perfect and beautiful than any invention of Man…the great skill of the
ancient artists was in the adaptation and disposition of their forms,” (Baker 70).
Morris did not want to change the natural beauty of his subject matter, he
wanted to take that and channel it into a way to adorn everyday life. His view was that everyone needed art and beauty in their life, and he wanted to find a way to make that happen. Wallpaper was one of those ways. By taking something simple and beautiful and designing it into a pattern, he was able to reach a whole new audience.
By the mid 1860’s wallpaper was his main concern. An interesting fact about
that is Morris himself could not draw birds. So his friend Philip Webb would draw any birds needed for designs Morris was working on (Morris 3). By 1875 Morris, Marshall, Faulkner and Co. dispersed and Morris transitioned into Morris and Co. which is still a functioning company to this day. “This period proved to be Morris’s most prolific and creative as a pattern designer and he devoted much time to developing and perfecting ranges of textiles which were reproductions of early 19th Century prints,” (Morris 3).
Eventually needing to expand again, Morris found an old silk weaving mill at
Merton Abbey where he set up his new textile workshops in 1881 (Bowman 18). The following year Rossetti died, leaving Morris with torn feelings at the loss of a friend, but also the regain of his wife to an extent. The last fifteen years of his life were spent
working as hard as ever, and as always designing as he felt led.
or believe to be beautiful…” The man may be gone, but his
His health started failing around the beginning of 1896, he
legacy lives on.
was diagnosed with Diabetes in April and then moved to the
Kelmscott House for the final time (Wilhide 33). The Burnes-
out when I say never was there a nay man more
Jones’ were the frequent visitors until the end, proving to be
entirely free from conceit and self-consequence.
loyal friends yet again.
Though fully conscious of his own power and
inherent ability, he was looked up to by his fellows
Morris died on October 3, 1896 at the age of 62.
“Those who knew him best will bear me
According to his wife, among his last words were: “I want to
as a man of genius. He was nevertheless one of the
get mumbo-jumbo out of the world,” (Wilhide 33). Even to
most simple minded, yea, one of the most humble
his death, he knew what he wanted to do. “As his doctor said,
minded among men. His consciousness of power
he died doing the work of ten men,” (Baker 13). His long-time
and knowledge in such things as he gave his mind
friend and colleague, Philip Webb, designed his tombstone,
to, raised him above petty conceit; while his clear
which he affectionately referred to as “a roof for the old man,”
conception of the limitations of his own, and of
(Parry 22). His family and friends seemed to take his death
all human knowledge, engendered in him that
as well as can be expected, for they had known it was coming
humility which is a special note of truly great
for quite some time. The quote he will always be known for is
minds,” Fredrick Mills, 1898, (Baker 86).
“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful