Arts & Crafts -Table of Contents
William Morris
William
Morris (1834-96)
was an English poet, artist, and socialist reformer, who rejected the opulence on
the Victorian era and urged a return to medieval traditions of design, craftsmanship,
and community. He was inspired by the writings of John
Ruskin and Augustus
Pugin who championed the return of Gothic architecture (the last true architectural movement in their opinion.)
In 1860 Morris, in conjunction with Webb, Burne-Jones, Ford Madox Brown, and
Rossetti, formed Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. to manufacture
wallpaper, stained
glass, chintzes, and later also carpets, tapestries, and
woven furnishing materials.
Its aims were to promote the appreciation of better design standards amongst the middle and artisan classes, and to offer them honestly made domestic artifacts The work of Morris is characterized by an emphasis on decorative elements, especially on those that he thought to be characteristic of the art of the Middle Ages. His designs for books and wallpaper resembled precise, elegant illuminated manuscripts, and his poems and epics read like the ancient epics and sagas.
Furniture
As far as is known, William Morris never designed any furniture but devoted his attention to other crafts, particularly printing, fabrics and book production; furniture design was the province of Philip Webb.
See also Mission furniture
- Philip Webb buffet - Musée
d'Orsay, Paris, France
- William Morris & William Frend de Morgan mural panes -Musée
d'Orsay, Paris, France
- Sir Edward Burne-Jones, Wheel of Fortune - Musée
d'Orsay, Paris, France
- Sir Edward Burne-Jones, Princesse Sabre, ou La Fille du rois - Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France
Wallpaper
Morris & Company began to sell their wallpapers in Boston in 1873, and by the mid 1870s had representatives for their growing line of wallpaper, fabric and carpet in many major American cities.
Morris style wallpaper is being manufactured by Bradbury & Bradbury
- "Grape vine," "Compton," and "Honeysuckle" patterns, - Beau Fleuve B & B, 242 Linwood Ave.
- "Honeysuckle"pattern - Edward Harvey House. 91 Jewett Parkway
- "Pimpernel" pattern - Edward Harvey House. 91 Jewett Parkway
- "Woodland" pattern - Edward Harvey House. 91 Jewett Parkway
Printing
Morris established the Kelmscott Press in 1890, and, using his own designs for the type and ornamental letters, he issued editions of the classics and of his own works, notably The Kelmscott Chaucer (1896). See also Kelmscott Press (Glasgow U.) for photos.
Misc.
- Morris style rug - Edward
Harvey House. 91 Jewett Parkway
- See also: J.R. Burrows
& Company: William Morris Carpet Designs
Morris the socialist reformer
In his political
writings, Morris attempted to correct the dehumanizing effects of the Industrial
Revolution by proposing a form of society in which people could enjoy craftsmanship
and simplicity of expression. (This was the inspiration for Elbert Hubbard to establish
the Roycroft community in East Aurora, NY.)
Sources:
- Arts & Crafts Movement: William Morris
- V. J. Taylor, Warman's How to be a Furniture Detective, Krause, 1989
Illustration above: Modeled by Jerome Connor and later cast in bronze. On display at the ScheideMantel House Click on photo for larger size.
See also:
