William Morris: Full-Color Patterns and Designs

by William Morris, Aymer Vallance (Photographer)

Defining beauty in art as the result of man's pleasure in his work, the noted English poet, designer, craftsman and pioneer Socialist William Morris (1834–1896) spent most of his life enthusiastically expounding this view through his many attractive designs for interior furnishings.
The present book faithfully reproduces 40 of the most celebrated examples of Morris's work, reprinting in full color all the color plates from The Art of William Morris, published by George Bell & Sons in 1897. Included in this splendid, ready-to-use archive are richly detailed wallpaper designs incorporating marigold, vine, acanthus, apple, wild tulip, daisy and trellis motifs; hand-painted tiles with a rose pattern; chintzes displaying honeysuckle and bird and anemone designs; an acanthus design on printed velveteen; a superb peacock and dragon design on woven wool tapestry; a magnificent Kidderminster carpet with its lily motif.
Originally intended to decorate Victorian homes, these tasteful patterns provide a wealth of source material for modern artists working in advertising, textile, residential or industrial design. Commercial artists and graphic designers will welcome this modestly priced collection of copyright-free designs by one of the most influential artists of the Victorian period.

Genres: Art, Crafts, Design

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

William Morris was an English architect, furniture and textile designer, artist, writer, socialist and Marxist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement. Morris wrote and published poetry, fiction, and translations of ancient and medieval texts throughout his life. His best-known works include The Defence of Guenevere and Other Poems (1858), The Earthly Paradise (1868–1870), A Dream of John Ball and the utopian News from Nowhere. He was an important figure in the emergence of socialism in Britain, founding the Socialist League in 1884, but breaking with the movement over goals and methods by the end of that decade. He devoted much of the rest of his life to the Kelmscott Press, which he founded in 1891. The 1896 Kelmscott edition of the Works of Geoffrey Chaucer is considered a masterpiece of book design.

Reviews

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are certainly better books on Morris and as a designer working in advertising I've loved Morris' work but not once has a Morris decorative piece been useful for a commercial job. I've learned that this Dover edition is a prepublication of the color plates from a book called "The Art of William Morris", by Aymer Vallance, published by George Bell & Sons, London, 1897.

[Jeanette A. Boltz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting.

I was looking for a book of W. Morris to decide on a fabric I wanted to use. Very limited examples.

[Víctor Iglesias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Verdaderamente hermoso.

Pero vale la pena considerar que la influencia turca es tanta, que bajo estándares modernos, se aproxima al plagio.

Si bien no hay copias literales, las reminiscencias llegan a ser muy obvias y en muchas ocasiones de menos calidad que la tradición islámica.

No por ello deja de ser digno de aprecio

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my dream world, I move into an old craftsman home and renovate it with William Morris wallpaper. His patterns are rich and immersive, refreshingly rich in the age of minimalism, and his choice of patterns for different applications is illuminating.

[Ligaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 41-page oversize book with color photographs of some of William Morris's work. It is a good quick overview but some of the photos are a bit out of focus. It's a Dover Publication book, so I guess that's to be expected.

[Pinky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoy William Morris' delightful plant and animal laden fabrics that are displayed in this book.

[Everbright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got it for cheap on Amazon and it was good value for the money, but if I'd paid full price I probably would have been annoyed. Printing is a bit fuzzy. But I like the patterns and it was a good value.