WILLIAM MORRIS (1834-1896)

PRANNAY DHINGRASAMRIDHI SHARMA

OVERVIEW OF MORRIS

DATE OF BIRTH

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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PATTERNS FROM NATURE

WILLIAM MORRIS (1834-1896) 'Trellis', 1862 (pencil and watercolour sketch for wallpaper design)

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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', and 'Sunflower'.

PATTERNS FROM NATURE

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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

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.

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.

• Rooms are filled with samples of Morris's work, including many original tapestries, textiles, wall-hangings, designs, and artwork.

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'THE DILIGENT STUDY OF NATURE‘

WILLIAM MORRIS (1834-1896) 'Windrush', 1881-83 (pencil and watercolour sketch for textile design)

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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.

THE MEDIEVAL CRAFTS GUILDS

WILLIAM MORRIS (1834-1896) 'African Marigold', 1876 (pencil and watercolour sketch for textile

design)

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•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.

THE ARTS AND CRAFTS MOVEMENT (between 1860 and 1910)

The 'dark Satanic mills' of the Industrial Revolution

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The Arts and Crafts Movement (1850-1900) was a reaction against 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.

THE CRAFTS GUILDS

The Journal of the Century Guild Hobby Horse (Edition No1, April 1884)

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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.

WIGHTWICK MANOR

• a house built and furnished under the influence of the arts and crafts movement.

• original Morris wallpapers and fabrics, De Morgan tiles, Kempe glass, and Pre-Raphaelite works of art

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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.

POLITICAL WRITING

10 Oct 1883, This included Chants for Socialists (1883)

10 Oct 1885, The Pilgrims of Hope(1885)

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10 Oct 1888, the Dream of John Ball (1888)

THE KELMSCOTT PRESS (1891)

WILLIAM MORRIS (1834-1896) 'Typefaces', 1897 (printed page)

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'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'.

KELMSCOTT PRESS• Founded in 1891

• 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

• Never a financial success as their beautifully hand-crafted books were too expensive to produce at a profit Morris and Co. Exhibition catalogue. London: The Fine

Art Society with Haslam & Whiteway Ltd., 1979.

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'The Nature of Gothic‘(1892)

WILLIAM MORRIS (1834-1896) 'The Nature of Gothic', Kelmscott Press 1892 (Title Page from 'The Stones of Venice' by John Ruskin)

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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.

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 Burne-Jones, and published in 1896. Also publishes The Well at World's End.

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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.

• 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.

Bibliography1. A. Clutton-Brock, author of " shelley: the man and the poet“, William Morris his

work and influence (1914).2. David Cody, Professor of English, Hartwick College, Morris: Sources and

Influence, http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/morris/wmlitrel.html (2013-10-16).

3. 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).