William Morris' (1834-1896) contributions to the art world cannot be underestimated (Image 1, Elliot & Fry, 1877). So prolific of a designer, I am sure that most people would be familiar with his work but without necessarily realizing it. He was a man of many skill sets, from theology to architecture to art, Morris was a well-rounded Pre-Raphaelite (member of an elite group of British men who aimed to reform art) (National Trust, 2003). Morris surrounded himself with like-minded artisans including Edward Burne-Jones, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Philip Webb, Charles Faulkner, Peter Paul Marshall, and John Robert Parsons. Together they dedicated their lives to the arts, designing wall paper, furniture, carpets, stained glass, and printed and woven fabrics.
After marrying Janey Burden (Image 2, Parsons), (who was the iconic fair skinned, dark haired muse of this artistic era) they settled in Bexelyheath, England in 1858. For the first time, Morris and his colleague, Webb, put their architecture skills to the test, designing and building Red House, which was named for its red brick exterior (Image 3, Rockers). Once the £4,000 home was built ($6,628, no small sum for the time), Webb, Rossetti, and Burne-Jones joined the Morrises in decorating the interior in jewel tones. Together, using no wallpaper, they painted designs on the ceilings and murals on the walls and furniture. The entire Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood truly contributed to the creation of their artistic abode. Rossetti himself described the home as "more of a poem than a house...", as it became symbolic of their existence and purpose in life.
Socially and artistically, Morris was ahead of his time. Between, his wealth, Bohemian lifestyle, and creative entourage, Morris was an eccentric and artistically-consumed man. He believed in the collaboration of minds and talents when it came to creating art, so much so that he invited his colleagues to reside in Red House with him and Janey. Together, them and their wives practiced and shared a variety of methodologies. Through this shared collective they established Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. in April 1861 (later becoming Morris & Co. in 1875), which contributed to the arts and craft movement of the Technological Revolution.
In the quiet Bexelyheath community, the Morrises were not well liked. The community of artists did wholly unorthodox activities, such as having picnics in their garden and apple fights in their house. The Red House was always the talk of town. It was even rumored that the Morrises had a pet lama that walked on their dining room table with a cowboy-hat-wearing parrot riding on its back. Even a smiley face had sneakily been painted on the ceiling, perhaps as a daily reminder of their light-hearted nature. This sort of tomfoolery was just a part of Red House's rule-free environment (Red House Tour, 2013).
However, due to the strain on William and Janey's marriage, the Morrises left the Red House and moved to London in 1865. When they moved, he left behind thousands of unproduced print blocks. So many that the succeeding owners were so overwhelmed that they destroyed most of his work by throwing it in the fire or river.
The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain in 1760 lasting until roughly 1840 (Industrial Revolution Research, 2014). Due to this period of innovation in machinery and water power, England's economy was booming. There was a particular focus on the textile industry at this time, as AE Musson and Eric Robinson explain in Science and Technology in the Industrial Revolution, there were innovations in "the paper mill, wire-drawing machines, the 'new draperies' in the woollen industry, the Saxony spinning wheel, and the Dutch swivel (or inkle or ribbon) loom. Foreign influences can also be traced in many other industries, such as silk, pottery, glass-making, tinplate manufacture, etc" (1969, p 61). This high level of attention on the arts evolved production methods from expensive, slowly produced hand crafted goods to cost-cutting, highly efficient machinery.
By 1861 when Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. was established, there was a new wave of momentum in the economy as the technology and businesses continued to grow. This era became known as the Technological Revolution or Second Industrial Revolution (Muntone, 2012). This helped push Morris' business along significantly because by this time the machinery had modernized and the middle class had grown significantly, as people had been working their way out of poverty for the past century. Due to this powerful industrial and economic climate, England had upper middle class businessmen and entrepreneurs who could afford the luxury of investing in quality design. But beyond the economic conditions perhaps there was something else about London that fueled Morris' artistic prosperity. He was eccentric, bohemian and unconventional yet it obviously didn't count against him. Even in the prudish Victorian era there seems to have been a tolerance that afforded Morris and his contemporaries freedom of expression and a platform to build successful design businesses.
Morris continued to build a career on creating a standard of expectation around superior interior design. Institutionalizing and bringing value to the art form, Morris stated, "have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful". The prestige and timeless quality of the firm's design became synonymous with English heritage. He is best known for his interior design prints, including Strawberry Thieves, Evenlode, and Snakehead.
Morris' ongoing commitment to create value around beautiful design was prioritized throughout his entire career. While he continued building his Morris Co. empire, he also extended his vision to the community around him. As a lover of architecture, Morris aided in the development of a society that preserves historical buildings. His efforts to maintain and protect these establishments led to the founding of the National Trust in 1895, just a year before he passed away (National Trust, 2003).
Today his franchise still epitomizes British good taste. Liberty, a British fabric power-house in London, produces replicas of his print in modern colorways and applications, proving that Morris' legacy is still alive over 150 years after starting up "the firm" (2014). Liberty's retail price for Morris' Strawberry Thieves fabric, shirt and needlework are set at £22 ($36) per meter, £130 ($215) and £115 ($190) respectively.
Overall, his involvement and collaboration with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, the cultural bohemian lifestyle led at the Red House, and the height of the Industrial and Technological Revolutions present the artistic, cultural and economic elements that created a long lasting stamp on the history of the textile industry. "Art lives on though life is short," appropriately still remains above the fireplace of Morris' Red House, a philosophy he is still proving today.
Elliot & Fry. (1877). Image 1. Retrieved from:
Industrial Revolution Research. (2014). Retrieved from: http://www.industrialrevolutionresearch.com/industrial_revolution_textile_industry.php
Liberty. (2014). Images 7-9. Retrieved from: http://www.liberty.co.uk/search?productsPerPage=60&keywords=william+morris
Musson, A.E. & Robinson, E. (1969). Science and Technology in the Industrial Revolution. Manchester, UK: University Press.
Muntone, S. (2012). The McGraw-Hill Companies. Technological Revolutions. Retrieved from: http://www.education.com/study-help/article/us-history-glided-age-technological-revolution/
National Trust. (2003). Red House. Corsham, UK: Park Lane Press.
Parsons, J. R. (1868). Image 2. Retrieved from:
Red House Tour. (2013). Oral Presentation. National Trust Tour Guide.
Rockers, R. (2013). Image 3.
Voysey. (2014). Image 4-6. Retrieved from: