William Morris (1834-1896) was an influential English artist, designer, craftsman and socialist. He helped establish the Arts and Crafts Movement in Britain which focused on handcraftsmanship and traditional design applied to everyday objects. Morris founded a company in 1861 called Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. which produced furniture, textiles and other decorative arts. In 1875 he established Morris & Co. which became highly influential. Morris also founded the Kelmscott Press in 1891 to produce beautifully crafted books which helped preserve traditional printing arts. Throughout his life he advocated for socialist policies and workers' rights through his writings, lectures and political activism.

1. WILLIAM MORRIS (1834-1896)
PRANNAY DHINGRA
SAMRIDHI SHARMA

2. OVERVIEW OF MORRIS

3. DATE OF BIRTH
William Morris (24 March 1834 - 3
October 1896) was an English
textile designer, artist, writer, and
socialist associated with the PreRaphaelite Brotherhood and the
English Arts and Crafts Movement.

4. EDUCATION(1848-1855)
9 Oct 1848,educated at Marlborough college, there
he learned very little about architecture.
25 Dec 1851,attended Forest School, here he lived
as a private pupil with the Rev. F. B. Guy, Assistant
Master. Then later to Canon of St. Alban's, for a year
to prepare him for University.
9 Jun 1852,attended Oxford Exeter College, he
wasn't able to go till 1853 because the school
was too full, he met Edward Jones and joined a
Brotherhood group but at this college he began
to write poems.

5. PAINTER(1856-1857)
1856, begins work in the architectural office of G E Street. Meets
Phillip Webb and, later that year, Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Morris
abandons his fledgling career in architecture and becomes an artist.
1857, Morris, Burne-Jones, Rossetti and various others paint the
Oxford Union frescoes. Meets Jane Burden, one of Rossetti's models.

6. POET & AUTHOR
10 Oct 1858, first booked published, his book " The
Defence of Guinevere and Other Poems" was
published.
William Morris continued to find time to write
poetry and prose, The Life and Death of Jason
(1867)
10 Oct 1868, another book, The Earthly Paradise
(1868)
10 Oct 1870, another published book, the Volksunga
Saga

7. THE RED HOUSE IN UPTON
10 Oct 1859, the company that William was with
had began to make a complete revolution of public
taste. Their commissions included the Red House in
Upton.
10 Oct 1866, another place of public taste, the
Armoury and Tapestry Room in St. James's Palace.

8. RED HOUSE (LONDON)
• It was designed in 1859 by its owner, William Morris, and the
architect Philip Webb
• Wall paintings and stained glass by Edward Burne-Jones
• steep roofs, prominent chimneys, cross gables, and exposed-beam ceilings
• L shape plan
• Gardens incorporated as part of the house

9. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_House_(London)
http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildi
ngs/The_Red_House.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Red_House,_Bexleyheath.JPG

10. Morris was one of the great pattern
designers. His classic designs are still
commercially available as wallpapers and
textiles.
They were usually titled with the names of
the flowers that they depicted such as
'Chrysanthemum', 'Jasmine', 'Acanthus', an
d 'Sunflower'.
WILLIAM MORRIS (1834-1896) 'Trellis', 1862
(pencil and watercolour sketch for wallpaper
design)
http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/graphic_designers/william_morris/Trellis.jpg
PATTERNS FROM NATURE

11. Morris' design for 'Trellis', his first attempt at a
wallpaper design, was based on roses growing
over trellises in the garden at the Red House, his
classic Arts and Crafts Movement home, at
Bexleyheath in Kent.
The pattern shows a medieval influence as it is
recalls the ornamental decoration to be found on
illuminated manuscripts and tapestries.
'Trellis' was one of Morris' favourite designs and
he chose it to decorate his bedroom at
Kelmscott House in London where he spent his
final years.
Later editions by Philip Webb
http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/graphic_designers/william_morris/Trellis_wallpaper.jpg
PATTERNS FROM NATURE

12. COMPANY(1860)
• 1861, Morris, Marshall, Faulkner and Co.
founded. Founder members include Ford
Maddox Brown, Burne-Jones, Rossetti and
Webb.
• 1862-1867, designs the first of his wallpapers
for the Company. Publishes poetry including
The Life and Death of Jason and The Earthly
Paradise.
• 10 Oct 1875, the partnership came to an end
and William began his own company called
Morris & Company. Morris, Marshall, Faulkner
& Co. dissolved and reconstituted as Morris &
Co.

13. KELMSCOTT MANOR
• Kelmscott Manor was the country home of William morris from 1871 until
his death in 1896
•
It also appears in the background of WATER WILLOW , a portrait of his
wife, painted by Rosetti in 1871.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dant
e_Gabriel_Rossetti_Water_Willow_18
71.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kelmscott
Manor1.JPG
• Rooms are filled with samples of Morris's work, including many original
tapestries, textiles, wall-hangings, designs, and artwork.

14. The creative approach that William Morris employed in
his designs was revealed in a lecture from 1874:
'first, diligent study of Nature and secondly, study of
the work of the ages of Art'.
•Morris felt that the 'diligent study of Nature' was
important, as nature was the perfect example of God's
design.
•The 'study of the work of the ages of Art', a reference
to the appreciation of art history, was equally important
as Morris encouraged artists to look to the past for their
inspiration believing that the art of his own age was
inferior.
Morris felt that this would enhance the
quality of life for all, and that artistic
activity itself would be seen as a force
for good in society.
WILLIAM MORRIS (1834-1896)
'Windrush', 1881-83 (pencil and
watercolour sketch for textile design)
http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/graphic_designers/william_morris/african-marigold.jpg
'THE DILIGENT STUDY OF NATURE‘

15. •The medieval crafts guilds were groups of
artists, architects, and craftsmen who formed
an alliance to maintain high standards of
workmanship, regulate trade and
competition, and protect the secrets of their
crafts.
•The guilds were usually composed of smaller
workshops of associated crafts from the same
town who banded together into larger groups
for their own protection and prosperity.
WILLIAM MORRIS (1834-1896) 'African
Marigold', 1876
(pencil and watercolour sketch for textile
design)
http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/graphic_designers/william_morris/african-marigold.jpg
THE MEDIEVAL CRAFTS GUILDS

16. The Arts and Crafts
Movement (1850-1900)
was a reaction against the
Industrial Revolution.
The 'dark Satanic mills' of the Industrial Revolution
The members of the Arts and Crafts Movement included
artists, architects, designers, craftsmen and writers. They
feared that industrialization was destroying the environment
in which traditional skills and crafts could prosper, as
machine production had taken the pride, skill and design out
of the quality of goods being manufactured.
http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/graphic_designers/william_morris/industrial_landscape.jpg
THE ARTS AND CRAFTS MOVEMENT
(between 1860 and 1910)

17. The Century Guild was the first of the craft
guilds to form. It was founded in 1882, under
the influence of William Morris, by the
architect and designer A.H. Mackmurdo.
In 1884 the guild published a quarterly
journal called 'Hobby Horse' to promote
their aims and ideals. In particular, they
championed the craft of printing as an art
form which inspired Morris to found the
Kelmscott Press.
The Journal of the Century Guild Hobby
Horse (Edition No1, April 1884)
http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/graphic_designers/william_morris/century_guild.jpg
THE CRAFTS GUILDS

18. WIGHTWICK MANOR
• a house built and furnished under the influence of the arts and crafts
movement.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wigh
twick_Manor_02.jpg
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/
959431
• original Morris wallpapers and fabrics, De
Morgan tiles, Kempe glass, and Pre-Raphaelite works of art

19. SOCIALIST(1883)
10 Oct 1883, Morris had become a socialist after
becoming disillusioned with Gladstone's Liberal
Government. Morris joined the Social Democratic
Federation (SDF) and began contributing articles to its
journal Justice. was soon in dispute with the party
leader, H. H. Hyndman. Morris shared Hyndman's
Marxist beliefs, but objected to Hyndman's
nationalism and the dictatorial methods he used to
run the party.
1884-1890, Publishes Art and Socialism and A
Summary of the Principles of Socialism. Founds the
Socialist League. Becomes deeply involved in political
activism, and is arrested in connection with free
speech demonstrations.

20. http://hornbakelibrary.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/wmsocialism-chants2.jpg
POLITICAL WRITING
10 Oct 1883, This included Chants for
Socialists (1883)
Pilgrims of
Hope(1885)
10 Oct 1888, the
Dream of John Ball
(1888)
http://images.wordpower.co.uk/images/product_images/9781603124331.jpg
http://a2.mzstatic.com/us/r30/Publication/67/2c/46/mzi.zcwym
mzz.225x225-75.jpg
10 Oct
1885, The

21. 'I began printing books with the hope
of producing some which would have a
definite claim to beauty, while at the
same time they should be easy to read
and should not dazzle the eye......I
found I had to consider chiefly the
following things: the paper, the form of
the type, the relative spacing of the
letters, the words, and the lines; and
lastly the position of the printed matter
on the page'.
WILLIAM MORRIS (1834-1896)
'Typefaces', 1897 (printed page)
http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/graphic_designers/william_morris/Kelmscott_fonts.jpg
THE KELMSCOTT PRESS
(1891)

22. KELMSCOTT PRESS
• Produced high quality hand-printed books to be
seen and cherished as objects d'art
• Ran for seven years and closed in 1898, two
years after the death of Morris
• One of his final attempts to preserve the old
relationships between the artist and his art and
his society
http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/morris/kelmscott.html
• Founded in 1891
• Never a financial success as their beautifully
hand-crafted books were too expensive to
Morris and Co. Exhibition catalogue. London: The Fine
produce at a profit
Art Society with Haslam & Whiteway Ltd., 1979.

23. Altogether Kelmscott published 53 titles
(18,000 copies in all), including 'The Nature
of Gothic', a chapter from 'The Stones of
Venice' by the art critic, John Ruskin.
Morris, who wrote the preface praising
the book, had been greatly inspired by
Ruskin whose writings influenced the
Arts and Crafts movement by
encouraging the revival of Gothic art and
architecture.
WILLIAM MORRIS (18341896) 'The Nature of
Gothic', Kelmscott Press
1892 (Title Page from 'The
Stones of Venice' by John
Ruskin)
http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/graphic_designers/william_morris/Kelmscott_Press.jpg
'The Nature of Gothic‘(1892)

24. THE WOOD BEYOND THE WORLD
1894-1896, publishes The Wood
Beyond the World. Begins work on
the Kelmscott Chaucer, designed by
Morris and illustrated by BurneJones, and published in 1896. Also
publishes The Well at World's End.
http://www.iscroll.com/imedia/8b10ca1a-d0b2-4f37-a688374ca1377a12.jpg

25. RE-VIEW
• William Morris (24 March 1834 -3 October
1896) was an English textile
designer, artist, writer, and libertarian
Marxist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite
Brotherhood and English Arts and Crafts
Movement.
• William Morris was an English
artist, poet and politician. He was
incredibly creative and he produced
decorative art in a range of different
forms, including:
textiles, furniture, wallpaper, stained
glass windows, book design and
tapestry.

26. • William Morris was an
artist, designer, printer, typographer, bookbinder, craftsman, poet, writer
and champion of socialist ideals.
• He believed that a designer should have a WORKING KNOWLEDGE of any
media that he used and as a result he spent a lot of time teaching himself
a wide variety of techniques.
• 3 Oct 1896, William died from a kidney disease.

27. Bibliography
1.
2.
3.
A. Clutton-Brock, author of " shelley: the man and the poet“, William Morris his
work and influence (1914).
David Cody, Professor of English, Hartwick College, Morris: Sources and
Influence, http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/morris/wmlitrel.html
(2013-10-16).
Victoria and Albert Museum, The world’s greatest museum of art and
design, Biography of William
Morris, http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/b/biography-of-william-morris/
(2013-11-9).