History Of Art : William Morris

William Morris

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Basic Information:

William Morris was born in 24^th march of the year 1834 in Walthamstow England, and died at the age of 62, 3^rd October 1896 in London England. William Morris was a textile designer, socialist activist, translator, writer (poet), and novelist. He was associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement (Art Nouveau).While William Morris studied at the Oxford university there was a big influence of medievalism. After the university he worked as an architect, then W.Morris was married to his wife Jane Burde, and because of that he became friends with some Pre-Raphaelite artists that are: Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Edward Jones and a Neo-Gothic architect Philip Webb, infact William Morris and Philip Webb design a family house that’s called Red House. Then in 1861 Morris and his friends artist founded a decorative arts firm that was named the Morris Marshall, Faulkner & Co, they became high in fashion and demanding with W.Morris designing wallpapers, furniture, stained glass windows, fabrics and tapestries. Morris took the total control of the company in 1875 and then was renamed Morris & Co.

William Morris and Wallpaper Design

William Morris’s name and reputation cannot be removed from the history of wallpaper design, but he had a tendency to over-estimate the influence he was giving with the wallpapers in this field, but despite his belief in “art for all” his wallpapers were hand made by his company Morris & Co., so they were expensive to buy, and consequently had a bad fit on the clients, plus that they had a limited stock. His wallpapers were difficult to find in the market beyond fellow artist, and were disliked by Oscar Wilde and some other influential people. However he had a long lived effect on wallpapers design, creating designs which were enjoyed till lasting appeal.

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'Trellis' woodblock printed wallpaper by William Morris, England, 1864. Victoria & Albert Museum, London

Inspirations

William Morris’s inspirations were plants themselves, observed from his walks in the country or his own garden and also pictures of plants, tapes-tries and illuminated manuscripts and other textile that had floral or leaf designs on them.

Morris designed over then fifty wallpapers and further forty-nine produced by J.H.Dearle, Kate Faulkner, George Gilbert Scott. Every wallpaper design had plant pattern whether expressed in a luxuriant naturalism (Acanthus, Jasmine, Pimpernel) more formal style (Sunflower). William Morris also printed on textile which in all he made over six hundred designs including designs on textile embroideries and wallpapers, over one hundred fifty stained glass windows.