Portrait of William Morris (Mar 24, 1834 - Oct 3, 1896) (1901)LIFE Photo Collection
"I do not want art for a few any more than education for a few, or freedom for a few." – William Morris
More than a century after his death, the words of revolutionary artist and social activist William Morris (1834 – 1896) still provoke and inspire us. Today, Morris is celebrated as one of the most influential and successful designers in history.
LIFE Photo Collection
He acted on his conviction that objects of daily use should be practical, as well as a source of beauty and delight.
Kelmscott Manor: In the Tapestry Room (1896) by Frederick H. EvansThe J. Paul Getty Museum
In Morris' view, every part of our home – from the floors and furnishings, to the walls and lighting – should be well-designed and well-made. Their integrity would counter what he saw as both the moral and aesthetic 'ugliness' of mass production.
Evenlode (1883 - 1900) by William Morris (British, b.1834, d.1896)Cincinnati Art Museum
Morris was active during the second half of the 19th century, a period in which the Industrial Revolution threatened to destroy British handicrafts. His textiles are technical masterpieces and among the most recognizable of all 19th-century designs.
Printed Textile: Brer Rabbit (Registered May 20, 1882) by Designed by William Morris, British, 1834 - 1896Philadelphia Museum of Art
According to the experts at the Cincinnati Art Museum, "Morris, driven by both perfectionism and aesthetic vision, laid the groundwork for the rejection of mass production and the revival of the idea of the artist as designer." This vision led to the what is known as the British Arts and Crafts movement.
Carpet (c.1884) by MORRIS & COMPANY, LondonArt Gallery of South Australia
Morris produced more than 600 designs during his lifetime, notably for textiles, wallpapers, and books.
His products, along with ceramics, and furniture chiefly designed by Philip Webb and George Jack, were sold through Morris & Co.
Kelmscott Manor. Wm. Morris's Bedroom. (1896) by Frederick H. EvansThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Morris opened the first iteration of his design firm Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. in 1861. It was later reformed as Morris & Co. in 1875.
He believed in creating simple interiors, using pattern and colour based on Medieval designs.
He decorated his bedroom with a dark and heavily carved Medieval-style bed with a densely patterned canopy. In this photograph from 1896, we can see that it's covered in a piece of his own 'Wandle' fabric.
"Wandle" (1910 - 1917) by William MorrisMuseo Nacional de Artes Decorativas
Mesmerizing and hypnotic, his designs feature fluid, interlacing lines and motifs drawn from nature, and re-imagined in rich color. The 'Wandle' design is distinctive for its strong sense of diagonal movement, suggested by the colorful striped ribbons and over-sized blossoms that move across its surface.
'Wandle' comes from name of the stream running through the Morris and Co’s. textile printing and innovative dyeworks in Surrey, England.
The Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas, Madrid, notes that the 'Wandle' pattern was inspired by antique textiles: "especially Italian velvets from the 15th century, and just like these ones, the composition is marked by a strong diagonal with a winding branch shape, frequently used from 1883 on."
"Pimpernel" (1876) by William MorrisMuseo Nacional de Artes Decorativas
'Pimpernel' from 1876 could be seen as showing an influence of East Asian aesthetics on Morris' work. It was popular at the time across the UK, and Japanese artistic principles of abstraction, simplification, and magnification often appeared in the design of the flowers and vines.
According to the Museo Nacional de Artes Decoratives, "Morris was particularly keen on curved acanthus leaves and climber willow and honeysuckle branches, which he used time and time again as the main theme or in the backgrounds."
Japanese robe or dressing gown (circa 1725 - circa 1775) by UnknownCentraal Museum
His transformation of their forms seems to take its cue from Japanese textiles.
"Wandle" (1910 - 1917) by William MorrisMuseo Nacional de Artes Decorativas
During his lifetime, however, Morris was recognized less for his innovative designs...
The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer (The Kelmscott Chaucer) (1896) by William MorrisCantor Arts Center at Stanford University
...and more for his social and literary achievements. He wrote novels, poetry, and even translated works from Icelandic to English. In fact, he even helped to establish the popular literary genre, Fantasy!
LIFE Photo Collection
Morris was also famed as a committed social and political activist, and used his printing presses to produce political pamphlets for a variety of causes including workers' rights, issues with industrial production, and poverty in Britain.
Morris intended for his artwork to break down barriers: between social classes; between the 'artist' and the 'designer'; between the 'fine' and the 'applied' arts; and between the general public and the beauty that he wanted for everyone.
A polymath and an idealist, Morris envisioned a utopian society, and designed a piece of this new world with every book, wallpaper, and textile design.
