William Morris

Born in London in 1834, William Morris was a radical thinker whose democratic vision for society and art has continued to influence designers, artists and writersto this day, long after his death in 1896. He was a gifted poet, architect, painter, writer and textile designer, who also founded the Kelmscott Press, the most famous of the Arts and Crafts private presses. Morris’s ideas later came to influence the Garden City movement, as well as numerous artists and craftspeople, who sought to negotiate a viable place within the modern world in the troubled years that followed the First World War. His ideals inspired designers, including those who contributed to the 1951 Festival of Britain, with a direct sense of mission to bring the highest design standards within the reach of everyone. During Morris’s lifetime, Oscar Wilde thought him ‘a master of all exquisite design and of all spiritual vision’, while forty years after Morris’s death George Bernard Shaw observed: ‘He towers greater and greater above the horizon beneath which his best advertised contemporaries have disappeared.’This collection of quotations by Morris, his friends, associates and those who came after, reveals and explores his passionately held viewthat beautiful, functional design should be accessible to all.

Born in London in 1834, William Morris was a radical thinker whose democratic vision for society and art has continued to influence designers, artists and writersto this day, long after his death in 1896. He was a gifted poet, architect, painter, writer and textile designer, who also founded the Kelmscott Press, the most famous of the Arts and Crafts private presses. Morris’s ideas later came to influence the Garden City movement, as well as numerous artists and craftspeople, who sought to negotiate a viable place within the modern world in the troubled years that followed the First World War. His ideals inspired designers, including those who contributed to the 1951 Festival of Britain, with a direct sense of mission to bring the highest design standards within the reach of everyone. During Morris’s lifetime, Oscar Wilde thought him ‘a master of all exquisite design and of all spiritual vision’, while forty years after Morris’s death George Bernard Shaw observed: ‘He towers greater and greater above the horizon beneath which his best advertised contemporaries have disappeared.’This collection of quotations by Morris, his friends, associates and those who came after, reveals and explores his passionately held viewthat beautiful, functional design should be accessible to all.

William Morris's patterns are enduringly popular for their originality and colour, and have captured the imagination of countless designers and artists. This colouring book explores the intricate work of William Morris and his Arts & Crafts contemporaries and allows you to invent your own colourways to complete their patterns. - 45 patterns to color, interspersed by full-colour reproductions of the original designs - Organized into four sections Nature, Colour, Pattern, and Craft to highlight different aspects of the designs, and the crafts and skills behind them - Explores Morris's love of nature, his artistry, mastery of colour, and innovation in pattern design in concise introductory texts

William Morris's patterns are enduringly popular for their originality and colour, and have captured the imagination of countless designers and artists. This colouring book explores the intricate work of William Morris and his Arts & Crafts contemporaries and allows you to invent your own colourways to complete their patterns. - 45 patterns to color, interspersed by full-colour reproductions of the original designs - Organized into four sections Nature, Colour, Pattern, and Craft to highlight different aspects of the designs, and the crafts and skills behind them - Explores Morris's love of nature, his artistry, mastery of colour, and innovation in pattern design in concise introductory texts

Revised edition of the bestselling backlist title. William Morris was an outstanding character of many talents, being an architect, writer, social campaigner, artist and, with his Kelmscott Press, an important figure of the Arts and Crafts movement. Many of us probably know him best, however, from his superb furnishings and textile designs, intricately weaving together natural motifs in a highly stylized two-dimensional fashion influenced by medieval conventions. Following on from the bestselling success of Art Nouveau , Art Deco and Alphonse Mucha , of the same series, this delightful new book offers a survey of his life and work alongside some of his finest decorative work. It is a richly beautiful book.

Revised edition of the bestselling backlist title. William Morris was an outstanding character of many talents, being an architect, writer, social campaigner, artist and, with his Kelmscott Press, an important figure of the Arts and Crafts movement. Many of us probably know him best, however, from his superb furnishings and textile designs, intricately weaving together natural motifs in a highly stylized two-dimensional fashion influenced by medieval conventions. Following on from the bestselling success of Art Nouveau , Art Deco and Alphonse Mucha , of the same series, this delightful new book offers a survey of his life and work alongside some of his finest decorative work. It is a richly beautiful book.

Now available in paperback, Pamela Todd's book celebrates William Morris's genius, presenting a thorough overview of his life and career, while setting out his guiding principles so that a modern audience can recreate the Arts and Crafts style in their own homes. A series of 'Case Studies' explores six contemporary houses - from a modern London townhouse to a traditional Arts and Crafts home in Massachusetts - that have followed and adapted Morris's dicta, brilliantly demonstrating how the style can be applied to our environment today. The book concludes with a comprehensive style-sourcing section, as well as a gazetteer of places to visit for inspiration. 'An excellent book' - The Times 'The definitive source book for anyone interested in the Arts & Crafts style ... stunning' - Period Living and Traditional Homes 'Gorgeous ... packed with intelligently researched information and more than 200 exquisite illustrations ... Get this if you're tempted to introduce the true spirit of Morris to your home' - Grand Designs

Now available in paperback, Pamela Todd's book celebrates William Morris's genius, presenting a thorough overview of his life and career, while setting out his guiding principles so that a modern audience can recreate the Arts and Crafts style in their own homes. A series of 'Case Studies' explores six contemporary houses - from a modern London townhouse to a traditional Arts and Crafts home in Massachusetts - that have followed and adapted Morris's dicta, brilliantly demonstrating how the style can be applied to our environment today. The book concludes with a comprehensive style-sourcing section, as well as a gazetteer of places to visit for inspiration. 'An excellent book' - The Times 'The definitive source book for anyone interested in the Arts & Crafts style ... stunning' - Period Living and Traditional Homes 'Gorgeous ... packed with intelligently researched information and more than 200 exquisite illustrations ... Get this if you're tempted to introduce the true spirit of Morris to your home' - Grand Designs

One of the most influential artists and thinkers of his time comes to life in this stunning graphic biography inspired by Morris' designs and filled with the colors and patterns that defined the Arts and Crafts Movement. Readers of all ages will learn much from this unique biography that highlights the most important aspects of the artist's life and career. It traces his childhood fascination with medieval history, nature, and his friendships with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood-Dante Gabriel Rosetti, Edward Burne-Jones-and with other leading figures of the day such as Philip Webb and John Ruskin. It takes readers inside Morris' famous homes-Red House, which became a hub for artistic and intellectual activities, and served as a testing ground for his ideas about the integration of art and daily life; and Kelmscott Manor, a tranquil retreat whose natural surroundings and historic setting resonated with his romantic ideals. The visual narrative captures key moments of his foray into political activism, and details his important work in printing and book design. The volume closes with a virtual gallery, in which readers can explore the details of his tapestries, carpets, and other masterpieces as well as a section on how the Arts and Crafts Movement influenced architecture, painting, sculpture, graphics, illustration, publishing, photography, and design for decades to come. The perfect introduction to a true Renaissance man, this fascinating presentation provides readers with an indelible impression of a polymath and free-thinker who was ahead of his time, and of his lasting legacy in the fields of art, preservation, and social justice.

One of the most influential artists and thinkers of his time comes to life in this stunning graphic biography inspired by Morris' designs and filled with the colors and patterns that defined the Arts and Crafts Movement. Readers of all ages will learn much from this unique biography that highlights the most important aspects of the artist's life and career. It traces his childhood fascination with medieval history, nature, and his friendships with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood-Dante Gabriel Rosetti, Edward Burne-Jones-and with other leading figures of the day such as Philip Webb and John Ruskin. It takes readers inside Morris' famous homes-Red House, which became a hub for artistic and intellectual activities, and served as a testing ground for his ideas about the integration of art and daily life; and Kelmscott Manor, a tranquil retreat whose natural surroundings and historic setting resonated with his romantic ideals. The visual narrative captures key moments of his foray into political activism, and details his important work in printing and book design. The volume closes with a virtual gallery, in which readers can explore the details of his tapestries, carpets, and other masterpieces as well as a section on how the Arts and Crafts Movement influenced architecture, painting, sculpture, graphics, illustration, publishing, photography, and design for decades to come. The perfect introduction to a true Renaissance man, this fascinating presentation provides readers with an indelible impression of a polymath and free-thinker who was ahead of his time, and of his lasting legacy in the fields of art, preservation, and social justice.

This biographical study is a window into 19th-century British society and the life of William Morris--the great craftsman, architect, designer, poet, and writer--who remains a monumental and influential figure to this day. This account chronicles how his concern with artistic and human values led him to cross what he called the "river of fire" and become a committed socialist--committed not only to the theory of socialism but also to the practice of it in the day-to-day struggle of working women and men in Victorian England. While both the British Labor Movement and the Marxists have venerated Morris, this legacy of his life proves that many of his ideas did not accord with the dominant reforming tendencies, providing a unique perspective on Morris scholarship.

This biographical study is a window into 19th-century British society and the life of William Morris--the great craftsman, architect, designer, poet, and writer--who remains a monumental and influential figure to this day. This account chronicles how his concern with artistic and human values led him to cross what he called the "river of fire" and become a committed socialist--committed not only to the theory of socialism but also to the practice of it in the day-to-day struggle of working women and men in Victorian England. While both the British Labor Movement and the Marxists have venerated Morris, this legacy of his life proves that many of his ideas did not accord with the dominant reforming tendencies, providing a unique perspective on Morris scholarship.

A tireless champion of her father William, and a gifted designer and craftswoman in her own right, Mary (May) Morris (1862–1938) had a unique insight into his extraordinary career and creativity. It was she who undertook the exacting task of editing the twenty-four volumes of her father's collected works (also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection). In 1936, towards the end of her life, she published this supplementary two-volume work, which includes further writings and sympathetic commentary, revealing 'the development of a mind which was singularly of one piece, however many-sided'. Volume 1 addresses William Morris' artistic and literary achievements. It contains May's introductory remarks and chapters of analysis, nearly fifty miscellaneous pieces by Morris on arts and crafts, items of verse juvenilia, several poems of the Earthly Paradise period, two translations from Icelandic, and several letters.

William Morris’s interests were wide-ranging: he was a poet, writer, political and social activist, conservationist and businessman, as well as a brilliant and original designer and manufacturer. This book explores the balance between Morris’s various spheres of activity and influence, places his art in the context of its time and explores his ongoing and far-reaching legacy. A pioneer of the Arts & Crafts Movement, William Morris (1834–1896) is one of the most influential designers of all time. Morris turned the tide of Victorian England against an increasingly industrialized manufacturing process towards a rediscovered respect for the skill of the maker. Morris’s whole approach still resonates today, and his designs are popular and much admired. Published to mark the 125th anniversary of Morris’s death, this book includes contributions from a wide range of Morris experts, with chapters on painting, church decoration and stained glass, interior decoration, furniture, tiles and tableware, wallpaper, textiles, calligraphy and publishing. Additional materials include a contextualized chronology of Morris’s life and a list of public collections around the world where examples of Morris’s work may be seen today. This study is a comprehensive, fully illustrated exploration of a great thinker and artist, and essential reading for anyone interested in the history of design. With 668 illustrations in colour A Crafts Council Best Craft Book of the Year

William Morris’s interests were wide-ranging: he was a poet, writer, political and social activist, conservationist and businessman, as well as a brilliant and original designer and manufacturer. This book explores the balance between Morris’s various spheres of activity and influence, places his art in the context of its time and explores his ongoing and far-reaching legacy. A pioneer of the Arts & Crafts Movement, William Morris (1834–1896) is one of the most influential designers of all time. Morris turned the tide of Victorian England against an increasingly industrialized manufacturing process towards a rediscovered respect for the skill of the maker. Morris’s whole approach still resonates today, and his designs are popular and much admired. Published to mark the 125th anniversary of Morris’s death, this book includes contributions from a wide range of Morris experts, with chapters on painting, church decoration and stained glass, interior decoration, furniture, tiles and tableware, wallpaper, textiles, calligraphy and publishing. Additional materials include a contextualized chronology of Morris’s life and a list of public collections around the world where examples of Morris’s work may be seen today. This study is a comprehensive, fully illustrated exploration of a great thinker and artist, and essential reading for anyone interested in the history of design. With 668 illustrations in colour A Crafts Council Best Craft Book of the Year