William Morris

by Linda Parry (Editor)

Published to coincide with the exhibition William Morris, 1834 - 1896 held at the Victoria et Albert Museum, London, 9 May - 1 September 1996.

Published to mark the centenary of William Morris's death, this work presents studies of the work of Morris and his wife, May, with particular reference to Kelmscott Manor, their 16th-century Gloucestershire home. Morris was influential in many spheres, including poetry, painting, design and political activism, and if any one of his creations was to represent all those interests it would be Kelmscott. The book traces its importance in the private and public lives of the Morris family from 1871, when the house was first rented by Morris and the painter D.G. Rossetti, to the death of May Morris in 1938. In support of this close focus on Kelmscott, there are detailed assessments of the Morrises' work, covering topics such as William's early attempts to become a painter, his role as businessman in control of a popular and busy factory and shop, and his development as designer and manufacturer of stained glass. Illustrations show Kelmscott during its restoration, and as it is today.

Genres: Art, Design, History, Nonfiction, Biography

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Linda Parry is former Deputy Keeper of the Department of Furniture, Textiles and Fashion at the V&A, where she worked for over thirty years. She is the author of Textiles of the Arts and Crafts Movement (1988) and British Textiles from 1850 to 1900 (1993), and editor of William Morris (1996). Among the exhibitions she curated at the V&A are Textiles of the Arts and Crafts Movement (1988) and William Morris (1996); she also acted as consultant on International Arts and Crafts (V&A 2005).

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best book on William Morris I've ever read. The book is broken down into different sections detailing his work in different areas. This man did the job of twenty, so it makes sense that a book about him would have to be organized this way. The book details his work as a conservationist, political activist, and business owner, as well as the more commonly discussed areas of textile / wallpaper pattern artist, and interior designer.

I've read....we'll just say, a LOT...of books about William Morris, and this book still had several images I'd never seen before.

An absolutely wonderful book. Highly recommended.

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

sara may have said “elena you’re not supposed to READ this book” but I did and I had a great time doing it

[Faye Godfrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a copy of this that sits on my coffee table, it's lovely to flick through and get inspiration. William Morris designs never fail to make me happy.