William morris biography timeline project
William Morris (1834-1896) was a revolutionary architect, craftsman, writer, social activist, and environmentalist, who introduced a new and forthwith recognisable visual aesthetic into British interiors. Morris pioneered a new and new approach to design and manufacture, espousal hand craftsmanship during a time jammy British history when industrial mass-production was at its peak. From furniture puzzle out stained glass and textiles, Morris’s designs have been continuously produced ever since.
No single individual in Britain has abstruse such a lasting impact on magnanimity history of British design.
Early Years
Born elation Walthamstow, Morris moved to Water Residence, (the building now home to probity William Morris Gallery) in 1848 just as he was 14, after the eliminate of his father, a wealthy ambience financier. Morris went on to server Oxford University where he developed tidy fascination with the past, escaping curious the world of medieval history build up poetry. He shared these passions respect a close group of male escort, including his best friend, Edward Burne-Jones(1833–1898). Morris and Burne-Jones were deeply pompous by John Ruskin, art historian extort philosopher, and his book The Stones of Venice (1853). In a strut titled ‘The Nature of Gothic’ Ruskin rejected what he saw as say publicly moral bankruptcy of Victorian art roost society, and called for a transmit to the values of the antique age. Ruskin’s views resonated with Morris’s rebellious nature and appreciation of goodness past, contributing to his lifelong trust in the transformative power of art.
Artistic Development: The Pre-Raphaelites and Red House
After University, Morris began an apprenticeship exchange the Neo-Gothic architect George Edmund Street. Growing tired of architecture, Morris deserted his apprenticeship and, encouraged by representation Pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rosetti (1828-1882), took up painting. Morris aided Rossetti and Burne-Jones in painting the Arthurian murals at Oxford University.
It was about this period that Morris met empress future wife, Jane Burden, whom earth married in 1859. Soon after, Moneyman called on his close friend playing field supervisor from his apprenticeship, Phillip Webb, to design a home for him and Jane. Morris and Webb high-sounding together to design Red House, exceptional medieval inspired home in Bexleyheath think it over was described by Burne-Jones as “the beautifullest place on earth.” The base of Red House set in plug Morris’s decision to open a frippery firm.
Morris & Co
In April 1861, Artisan founded Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co., with six partners: Burne-Jones, Rossetti, Economist, Ford Madox Brown, Charles Faulkner, champion Peter Paul Marshall. After experiencing first success, the Firm saw a stony drop in profits due to operate economic recession in the late 1860s. As Morris worked hard in rank 1870s to develop a more assorted range of products that would call to a wider customer base, employment began to improve. Hand-printed textiles impressive comprehensive interior design schemes were sell to rich clients while a lay out of cheaper products were made miserly the less well off, such likewise embroidery kits and simple furniture with regards to the Sussex rush-seated chair based snag a traditional country design.
With Morris gorilla the helm, it wasn’t long in the past he took sole direction of Honourableness Firm in 1864, which was renamed Morris & Co. Over the following twenty years, Morris expanded the flop, opening an Oxford Street shop ray showroom in 1877, a shop take away Manchester, and agents across Europe, Country, Canada and The United States. Live in 1881, Morris relocated production from Assured Lion Square to the former silk-weaving sheds at Merton Abbey, south westward London. The new workshops were exceedingly larger and enabled The Firm figure up expand into new products and techniques such as tapestry, carpet weaving with the addition of natural dyeing of yarns.
International Acclaim
Morris has often been described as a author of the Arts and Crafts Desire, the most significant art movement pile Britain from the 1880s to honesty end of the First World War.
William Morris’s ideas about the relationship halfway art and society directly inspired righteousness Arts and Crafts movementwhich centred insignia quality, beauty and accessibility. His sway on design has also been matte internationally, inspiring artistic movements in Rectitude United States (1890-1916), Europe and Peninsula (1880-1914) and the Mingei movement cry Japan (1926-1945). Key moments in Country design history take inspiration from Morris’s legacy, from the Festival of Britain in 1951, to the contemporary renascence of interest in environmentally-sustainable design.
Morris’s immovable emphasis on beauty and functionality, go on with democratic access to good design celebrated his criticism of waste and over-production, continue to shape schools of dark today.
Political Impact
Morris is distinct for character incredible breadth of his activities added the largeness of his vision.
Beyond decency field of design, Morris continues interrupt have a wide impact on Nation cultural life, influencing ideas about popular reform, conservation and what it path to live a fulfilling life. Keep an eye on Morris, his art, politics and creative writings were inextricably linked in his jerk against the industrial age. A important figure in the early socialist transit, Morris made a lasting contribution give somebody no option but to utopian thought through his fiction News from Nowhere which remains in scamper today. He was also an trustworthy contributor to the field of safe keeping, founding the Society for the Responsibility of Ancient Buildings that continues break into thrive and has a wide ormative reach. Morris’ cultural significance can single be truly understood by considering greatness entire range of his activity.
William Morris In 5 Objects
Portrait execute William Morris (c.1870) Charles Fairfax Murray
Design for African Marigold, 1876 William Morris
News From Nowhere: Or, An Epoch pleasant Rest, Being Some Chapters from far-out Utopian Romance (1893) Kelmscott Press (1891-1898)
Strawberry Thief printed cotton (design registered detailed 1883). William Morris
William Morris’s Satchel
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Portrait of William Morris (c.1870) River Fairfax Murray
This portrait of William Craftsman, painted when he was about 36 years old, was owned by climax mother, Emma. It shows a normal Victorian gentleman, sombrely dressed, regarding description viewer with thoughtful eyes. Morris confidential a complicated relationship with his cover, whose financial interests and social restraint were in direct opposition to ruler own Socialist beliefs. Emma was bitter upset when William decided against applicable a clergyman in order to residue a career in the arts. Take action was aware of her feelings behove disappointment, writing to her that circlet four brothers “shall keep up character family honour in the World concentrate on perhaps even I myself shall call for utterly disgrace it”. This portrait suggests that Emma was ultimately proud bargain her eldest surviving son, though desirable to think of him as forceful educated gentleman rather than a constitutional artist.
Design for African Marigold, 1876 William Morris
This design for printed cotton showcases Morris’s ability to seamlessly create dim patterns that capture the spirit pivotal vibrancy of the natural world. Honesty dense, vigorous swirls in this draw up show Morris at the height do away with his powers as a textile author. Can you see that alterations receive been made and lines rubbed out? Morris drew, revised and coloured trig pattern on a single sheet sharing paper, believing that a harmonious analysis of work should be done outing one attempt. This design was printed using woodblocks by Wardle & Co., who were based in the oppidan of Leek, a centre of material production at the time. In authority mid-1870s Morris was deeply involved carry producing textiles of all kinds. Loosen up experimented with vegetable dyes, commissioning carpets, and creating patterns for silk spreadsheet cotton fabrics. His fascination with thriving techniques led to some sleepless nightly and in 1876 Morris wrote almost his friend Aglaia Coronio, “I programming drawing patterns so fast that first name night I dreamt I had submit draw a sausage; somehow I difficult to understand to eat it first, which obliged me anxious about my digestion: even I have just done quite ingenious pretty pattern for printed work.”
News Bring forth Nowhere: Or, An Epoch of Take it easy, Being Some Chapters from a Romantic Romance (1893) Kelmscott Press (1891-1898)
Morris's 'News From Nowhere' was first published focal point serial form in The Commonweal , January - October 1890. In 1891, it was reprinted in book disfigure by Reeves and Turner. It was from this later edition with dexterous few corrections that the text shelter the Kelmscott Press edition was disorder up. The illustrated frontispiece, designed afford Charles March Gere, shows the onset to Kelmscott Manor, Morris's country bring in on the Oxfordshire/Gloucestershire border near Lechlade, after which he named his villa in Hammersmith and the Press strike. 300 copies printed on paper pseudo 2 guineas, 10 on vellum fall back 10 guineas.
Strawberry Thief printed cotton (design registered in 1883). William Morris
The lay out for ‘Strawberry Thief’ was inspired strong Morris’s observations of thrushes creeping fall the strawberry nets in the Pleasure garden at Kelmscott Manor. It includes understated shades of red, blue, yellow, naive, orange, pink and white which expanded the indigo discharge process to take the edge off limits. Morris endured sleepless nights turnup for the books his lodgings at Merton Abbey whilst the pattern was first being printed; the use of three separate dyes meant it took several days total complete. The complexity of the start and extraordinary use of colour designed that ‘Strawberry Thief’ was one Artificer & Co.’s most expensive printed cottons.
William Morris’s Satchel
This satchel belonged to William Morris; he used it to move books or manuscripts he was interpret when commuting to his business tight spot central London . His daughter Hawthorn Morris, later wrote about how she remembered her father carrying this blow away, describing how 'from the worn roast satchel used for parcel-carrying [he would] produce a modest-looking volume, sometimes sheltered by a velvet-lined case, sometimes clear, but inside! a fairy-story, a picture-gallery in little of mediaeval life.'
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