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. The V&A holds an extensive collection of wallpaper, textile and tile designs.
William Morris & Wallpaper Design
Morris's name and reputation are indissolubly linked to wallpaper design, but there is a tendency to over-estimate the influence he had in this field, at least in his own lifetime. Morris designs seem to have satisfied a widespread desire for pattern in a way which the more formal and didactic designs of the reformers such as Jones and Pugin never did. Morris also transformed the way in which people of relatively modest means decorated their houses. By designing and selling all the ingredients of the Morris style in a single outlet,allowing the householder to furnish in a co-ordinated fashion.
A William Morris and William De Morgan Tile-Panel
The early commissions of Morris and Company for decorative work at St James Palace (1865-67), the Green Dining-Room in the V&A (1866) and at No. 1 Palace Green (1868) are well documented, as well as being for Morris and his still fairly new firm important milestones towards success.
Arts & Crafts
The Arts and Crafts Movement began in Britain around 1880 and quickly spread to America, Europe and Japan. Inspired by the ideas of John Ruskin and William Morris, it advocated a revival of traditional handicrafts, a return to a simpler way of life and an improvement in the design of ordinary domestic objects. In 2005, the V&A hosted the exhibition 'International Arts and Crafts'.