Why William Morris is still relevant today.

Our feature blog explores William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement, whose enduring principles remain highly relevant today.

The roots of Arts and Crafts

William Morris, 1884, photographed
by Frederick Hollyer

'Have nothing in your house which you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful' could easily be the strapline of a C21st interior designer. It was, of course, one of the guiding maxims of the C19th designer and a founding father of the Arts and Crafts Movement, William Morris (1834-1896). 

A man of boundless energy and extraordinary abilities, Morris achieved success in a number of fields as well as design. As an accomplished poet, he was offered but turned down the position of Poet Laureate when Alfred, Lord Tennyson died in 1892. As a pioneering conservationist, he founded the Society for the Protection of Ancient  Buildings (SPAB), which remains the largest and oldest organisation working to save precious old buildings. Morris was also an artist, political activist, social reformer, publisher and craftsman. When he died at the age of 62, his doctor declared the cause was 'simply being William Morris and having done more work than most ten men.'

As a period, the Arts and Crafts Movement can be placed between 1860-1910, and was at its most influential during the late C19th and early C20th.  Its approach and guiding principles were developed by Morris and inspired by the thinkings and writings of art critic and social thinker John Ruskin (1819-1900) and architect and designer Augustus Pugin (1812-1852), an exponant of the Gothic Revival style. Pugin's advocacy of  truth to material, structure and function in design and Ruskin's exploration of the relationship between art, society and work were hugely influential. Preserving and emphasising the natural beauty of the materials used and placing great value on work and the joy of craftsmanship became core principles of the Arts and Crafts Movement. 

Morris was also influenced by his friend, Pre-Raphaelite Dante Gabriel Rossetti, in particular Rossetti's concern with Medieval subjects and styles. Indeed, Rossetti was a partner in 'The Firm',  the interior furnishings and design company established by Morris, otherwise known as Morris, Marshall, Faulkner and Co (later Morris & Co). Rossetti also had a long-term affair with Morris's wife, Jane, who was the subject of many of Rossetti's paintings.

The Arts and Crafts principles developed by Morris were a reaction to developments during the Victorian period when mass production and the inevitable de-skilling of traditional craftsmen became widespread. Morris and his friends felt dismayed by the mass produced exhibits on show at the Great Exhibition held in 1851.

In 1861, following a fruitless search for well designed and constructed furnishings for his new home, Red House, Morris decided to set up his own furnishings business, along with a small group of like-minded friends and Morris, Marshall, Faulkner and Co (which from 1875 became Morris & Co) was born. 

Arts and Crafts style and philosophy

                                                                                                                     

Sussex armchair, ca 1860
designer Philip Speakman Webb,
maker Morris and Co, England

The Arts and Crafts style was built around core principles of:

Truth to materials (only the best quality, natural materials were used)
Simple forms (nothing superfluous and no elaborate decoration)
Natural motifs (designs from nature feature heavily, including floral illustrations)
Local traditions (traditional skills and techniques are used in the making of products, moving away from mass production)

Morris emphasised both beauty and practicality (form and function) in design. High standards of design were essential to his work as was the use of only the best quality materials. His forward-thinking approach also embraced his workforce, in particular Ruskin's advocacy of dignity in labour. Karl Marx (Das Kapital was published in 1867)  proposed that de-skilled workers became alienated from the product they were making and gained no fulfilment from their work. The Arts and Crafts Movement's return to traditional handicrafts such as embroidery and carpentry, required skilled workers who, in turn, gained satisfaction from the products they made. Morris's workers also enjoyed good conditions and fair wages and an environment where men and women worked together as co-workers. 

Morris's principles were applied not only to the design and making of simple, beautiful furnishings, but also to the look and feel of the entire surroundings in the home. In his 1885 lectures entitled ‘How we live and how we might live’ he promoted informal, light, airy and uncluttered spaces. In his 1880 lecture 'The Beauty of Life' he urged of the need to 'clear our houses of troublesome superfluities that are for ever in our way'. He also spoke of the 'tons upon tons of unutterable rubbish pretending to be works of art' in London homes. Gone were the cluttered, dark, heavily embellished interiors which marked high Victorian style. Instead, Morris's look was lighter, simpler and more informal. 

Morris sold a lifestyle.  'The Firm' produced its own fabrics, wallpapers, stained glass, ceramics, light fittings and furniture. The wide range of interiors products available from the premises on Oxford Street which opened in 1877, meant that everything for the discerning Victorian's interior decoration could be bought from one place. 

The growing middle classes in Victorian England eagerly embraced the Morris style and way of life.  The Sussex Chair became a cult 'must have' for the Victorian middle classes. By the 1880s Morris was in such high demand that he had to find ways of rationing his time, which he did  by charging extortionate prices for personal visits to the home. 

Fruit (Pomegranate)
design by William Morris, 1862

His fabrics were the finest quality, with intricate, often floral, designs. Morris experimented with the use of colour and refused to use chemical dyes, which produced an inferior quality colour. Instead, he returned to using animal and vegetable dyes with which he experimented in order to achieve vivid, rich colours as well as the softer, more muted colours he desired.

His handmade wallpapers, with their exquisite designs often taken from nature,  were particularly expensive. By the late 1890s, it was reported that  Morris wallpapers were commonly found in 'artistic' middle-class homes and, according to the Daily Telegraph, typical clients of Morris & Co were 'university dons'. Morris himself preferred embroidered wall hangings to wallpaper, which he viewed as second best.

Inevitably, many of Morris's products were too expensive for most and remained within the reach of only those of means. This was at odds with his socialist politics and beliefs and was something which did not sit easily with him.

Enduring Arts and Crafts influence

Morris's work had widespread influence. It led to the establishment of a number of 'arts and crafts' guilds and societies, including the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society founded in 1887, from which the movement took its name. 'Craft communities' were also established in the countryside in places such as the Cotswolds. Rural craft traditions were revived and local resources, including local woods, were used to make furniture.

In Scotland, the new building for the Glasgow School of Art was designed by Art Nouveau architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the 'Glasgow style' flourished. Mackintosh and other architect/designers such as Frank Lloyd Wright were designing furniture from the same materials as the houses themselves in order to promote a whole, integrated space. They created open plan, informal interiors with the Arts and Crafts emphasis on light and space. 

Table ca 1898-99, designer/ maker
Richard Riemerschmid, Munich

In the United States, Gustav Stickley was a prominent designer in the American interpretation of the Arts &Crafts style and in Japan the movement was known as the Mingei (Folk Crafts) period.

Companies such as Heals and Liberty quickly adopted the Arts and Crafts look and, by undercutting prices, they made Arts and Crafts furniture more accessible to those who otherwise wouldn't have been able to buy into the lifestyle. 

The simplicity of Arts and Crafts style inspired movements such as Art Nouveau (at its height from around 1890-1910) and its influence can even be seen in Modernist emphasis on practical design (form follows function), rejection of decoration (ornament is crime) and belief in the power of design to transform society.

Morris's approach, which became known as the 'Arts and Crafts' style, changed the face of design and decoration and Arts and Crafts remains one of the most influential design movements of modern times. 

His principles  of clean, simple lines, airy spaces, high quality design and craftsmanship are as relevant today as they were over 100 years ago.

Places to visit:

This is a list of places we love and would highly recommend:

The Victoria and Albert Museum has a large collection of Arts and Crafts design, including excellent examples of furniture by major designers: http://www.vam.ac.uk/

Red House, Bexleyheath, was the home designed by architect Philip Webb for Morris and his wife, Jane. With many original features and original items of furniture and art, plus a wonderful garden. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/red-house/

Standen House, Sussex is a late Victorian family home set in beautiful countryside, designed by Philip Webb and with interiors by William Morris  http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/standen/

Wightwick Manor has beautiful Arts and Crafts interiors and a remarkable collection of original Pre-Raphaelite paintings www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wightwick-manor/

Further reading:

These are books we have read and would recommend:

The Arts and Crafts Movement in Britain , Mary Greenstead, (Shire History)

Arts and Crafts Architecture, Peter Davey, (Phaidon Press Ltd)

The Arts and Crafts Country House: from the archives of Country Life, (Aurum Press Ltd)

The Arts and Crafts Companion, Pamela Todd, (Thames and Hudson Ltd)

William Morris, Fiona MacCarthy, (Faber & Faber) 

Related events:

The V&A Museum is holding a study day, William Morris Textiles and Wallpapers, on Saturday 15th June 2013, 2-5pm.  Follow the link for more information. 

Information for this blog was sourced from the books listed above and from the V&A Museum web site.

All images courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.