dolls house source information about william morris and an arts and crafts dolls house

William Morris

William Morris was born in Walthamstow, London into a wealthy family. He attended Marlborough College and the University of Oxford. At Oxford he met Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Edward Burne Jones, Ford Madox Brown and Philip Webb who were to become life long friends. He also met pale skinned, copper haired Jane Burden who would later become his wife.

Morris and friends were all artists at this time. They formed the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, inspired by the work of John Ruskin, a contemporary art critic. Ruskin praised the work of medieval artists, sculptors and craftsmen, who he believed were free to promote their artistic individualism. They developed the decorative arts and architecture and raised the profile of skilled artisans over mass production.

After joining a firm of architects, Morris was soon drawn to the decorative arts.

Morris left Oxford to join an architecture firm, but soon found himself drawn more and more to the decorative arts. With the help of Philip Webb he build Red House at Bexleyheath, Kent and made it a wedding gift to Jane. Many of Morris’ design ideas are displayed in the interior of Red House.

In 1861 he co-founded Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. They produced stained glass, carving, furniture, wallpaper, carpets and tapestries and revolutionised the artistic tastes of the middle classes of their day. He would continue to work for his own firms for the rest of his life, the most famous firm being Morris & Co. Their designs can still be seen today under licenses from Sanderson & Sons and Liberty of London.

Morris and his daughter May were amongst Britain's first socialists. They worked directly with Eleanor Marx and Engels to begin the Socialist Movement. Over the years, Morris wrote socialist pamphlets, sold socialist literature and gave public speeches. He devoted many of his later years to political writings rather than architectural or artistic design.

Morris and Rossetti rented Kelmscott Manor in Oxfordshire and planned to use it as a summer retreat. Eventually it became a retreat for Rossetti to conduct his affair with Jane Morris.

In January 1891, Morris founded the Kelmscott Press at Hammersmith, London. He used it to produced improved printing and book design. He designed typefaces and fonts, inspired by Venetian printer Nicolaus Jenson. He also designed medieval style borders using special wood cuts, pens and ink. Kelmscott Press was in business until 1898 producing over 50 volumes.

In 1891 William Morris became seriously ill with kidney disease. He died on 3rd October, 1896.