William
Morris
Designer
Morris was a Pre-Raphaelite, advocating a return to the ideals of craftsmanship that had been swamped by the industrial revolution. He devoted his life to the spread of his message of egalitarianism and beauty. Morris has been called “the original socialist artist.” He grew up in an upper middle-class family that had made its fortune in copper mining. Their capitalist success enabled Morris to enjoy an expensive education and explore his artistic talent.
Although he originally planned to enter the clergy, Morris abandoned that to try architecture. He was as passionate about the preservation of mediaeval churches as he was about the traditional Anglican Book of Common Prayer. Morris was known to chase modernizing vicars out of their churches so he could restore the buildings to their former artistic glory.
He studied painting under Dante Gabriel Rossetti before turning to the decorative arts. Here he found his true calling. Reproductions of his tapestry, wallpaper designs, and furniture are popular today.
He developed strong ideas about design, preferring mediaeval to neoclassical forms. He also had strong opinions about politics although his ideas were not as well considered or as logical in that area. He enjoyed badgering rivals as well as associates into debating political issues. Morris stopped patronizing barbers as a young man. His unkempt hair enhanced his increasingly imposing patriarchal image.
In 1891, Morris embarked on his last great artistic endeavor, the Kelmscott Press. He was very fond of illuminated mediaeval manuscripts. He saw those works and the books of early printers as an art form. The Kelmscott Press produced 53 titles during its seven years of operation emulating the spirit and craftsmanship of the earlier works that he so admired. Morris designed nearly all of them himself.
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