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How We Might Live: At Home with Jane and William Morris
William Morris - poet, designer, campaigner, hero of the Arts & Crafts movement - was a giant of the Victorian age, and his beautiful creations and provocative philosophies are still with us but his wife Jane is too often relegated to a footnote, an artist's model given no history or personality of her own. In truth, Jane and William's personal and creative partnership was the central collaboration of both their lives. The homes they made together - the Red House, Kelmscott Manor and their houses in London - were works of art in themselves, and the great labour of their lives was life through their houses and the objects they filled them with, they explored how we all might live a life more focused on beauty and fulfilment.In How We Might Live, Suzanne Fagence Cooper explores the lives and legacies of Jane and William Morris, finally giving Jane's work the attention it deserves and taking us inside two lives of unparalleled creative artistry.
526 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 9, 2022
21 people are currently reading
456 people want to read
About the author
Suzanne Fagence Cooper
12 books30 followersDr. Suzanne Fagence Cooper was educated at Merton College, Oxford, Christie's Education and the Courtald Institute before becoming the Victoria & Albert Museum Research Fellow at Buckinghamshire New University in 1999. Her involvement with the V&A dates back to 1996, when she was appointed curator, and in 2001 she co-curated the V&A's major exhibition 'The Victorian Vision.'
Suzanne's published work includes the book Victorian Women (V&A Publications, 2001) and two essays for the book that supported the exhibition 'The Victorian Vision' in 2002. Her book Pre-Raphaelite Art in the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A Publications, 2003) brought together objects normally dispersed around the museum to examine the relationship between the V&A and this group of Victorian artists.
Her renowned knowledge of Victorian art and culture has led to numerous broadcast opportunities. She has been interviewed for Radio 4, the BBC World Service, and the television programme Victorians Roadshow (BBC2), and has worked as a consultant for the programmes What the Victorians Did for Us, (BBC2), presented by Adam Hart-Davis, and Simon Schama's series History of Britain (BBC2). She has also given many public lectures, including regularly on Cunard's Queen Mary II, as part of the Oxford University Discovery programme (2004).
Suzanne lives between London and York with her husband and two daughters
Suzanne's published work includes the book Victorian Women (V&A Publications, 2001) and two essays for the book that supported the exhibition 'The Victorian Vision' in 2002. Her book Pre-Raphaelite Art in the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A Publications, 2003) brought together objects normally dispersed around the museum to examine the relationship between the V&A and this group of Victorian artists.
Her renowned knowledge of Victorian art and culture has led to numerous broadcast opportunities. She has been interviewed for Radio 4, the BBC World Service, and the television programme Victorians Roadshow (BBC2), and has worked as a consultant for the programmes What the Victorians Did for Us, (BBC2), presented by Adam Hart-Davis, and Simon Schama's series History of Britain (BBC2). She has also given many public lectures, including regularly on Cunard's Queen Mary II, as part of the Oxford University Discovery programme (2004).
Suzanne lives between London and York with her husband and two daughters
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 10, 2022
I am astounded by the amount of research Dr. Cooper has done in writing her joint biography of married couple William and Jane Morris. A chronological look into the beginning of a boy's life named William Morris, the sibling patterns, his wanting to be a priest, his education at Oxford which introduced him to a lifelong friendship with a young painter named Edward Burne-Jones, which introduced him to a bit of a known painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti. These two men would lead William to meet a very young, very tall, strange beauty of a girl named Jane Burden...the rest is history! Not quite...Young William was content enough to live a quiet country life with his books on medieval history and nordic folklore surrounded by beautiful gardens until this goddess stepped into his world. His focus and direction took on new meaning while trying to get to know Jane Burden.
We owe a huge debt to the research Dr. Cooper has done on Jane Morris (nee Burden). She has traced her life from childhood to adulthood while finding a few treasures along the way. The veil has been lifted on the little girl growing up with siblings in small living quarters in the poverty section in and around Oxford to becoming the muse for a group of well educated painters and poets.
William and Jane, The Morrises, were never a simple couple to understand. However, in trying to discern each individually, How We Might Live opens up a 'pandora's box' of lifelong hidden treasures both otherworldly and divine. The utter brilliance of How We Might Live is how respectfully Dr. Cooper covers the relationship Jane Morris had with her husband's friend, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and the cost it would have on her reputation later in life. I was surprised by a few dinner behaviours of Rossetti toward Jane but I will leave it at that. I loved how Suzanne Fagence Cooper made connections between Rossetti's drawings/sketches of Jane and his insulting and mean hearted doodles of his friend William relating to the progression of his affair. My heart was full of sadness for William. This is just a taste of what readers I am sure want to know. Also, another wonderful surprise was reading one theory that it was Sarah Prinsep who taught Jane Morris how to become a lady by educating her on how to entertain and be a supporting wife. Jane apparently lived at Little Holland House with Sarah, her husband and a menagerie of painters and poets. I hope this is true!
I was fascinated by the relationship between William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement when it came to the business side of how fabrics and wallpapers were made. He was a creative genius of a man who lectured and traveled quite a lot. However, as the marriage progressed, Jane would give birth to two daughters Jenny and May Morris. Jane was an absolute doting mother who would do anything for her girls. William was the soft, mushy, sweet funny storytelling and playing with the girls dad that one would expect.
At the end of the day, How We Might Live shows how a marriage works and survives throughout affairs, illness, fighting, business profit loss, etc. To cope with Jane's affair, William believing he could not give Jane what she needed, chose to travel to Iceland, getting away to think things over. In the end, as William aged and his health grew poorer, they came together as a stronger couple who talked things out privately. When William Morris passed away, it was Jane Morris who continued to keep the business running along with her grown daughter May Morris who would eventually take over after Jane's passing.
Swirling around The Morrises were many favorites of The Pre-Raphaelite Circle: Lizzie Siddal is discussed throughout How We Might Live in association with her relationship and marriage to Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Also mentioned was Lizzie's childhood friend, Emma Madox Brown who according to her diary was, E.D. Emma Drunk, wife of Ford Madox Brown. John Ruskin makes a few appearances as a friend of William Morris in his love of Medieval and Gothic. Red Lion Mary is introduced as helping the painters out during their times when paintings were not selling. Fanny Cornforth is mentioned once in passing. Mostly, it is Edward Burne-Jones, wife Georgie, kids, Philip and Margaret as supporting cast.
We owe a huge debt to the research Dr. Cooper has done on Jane Morris (nee Burden). She has traced her life from childhood to adulthood while finding a few treasures along the way. The veil has been lifted on the little girl growing up with siblings in small living quarters in the poverty section in and around Oxford to becoming the muse for a group of well educated painters and poets.
William and Jane, The Morrises, were never a simple couple to understand. However, in trying to discern each individually, How We Might Live opens up a 'pandora's box' of lifelong hidden treasures both otherworldly and divine. The utter brilliance of How We Might Live is how respectfully Dr. Cooper covers the relationship Jane Morris had with her husband's friend, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and the cost it would have on her reputation later in life. I was surprised by a few dinner behaviours of Rossetti toward Jane but I will leave it at that. I loved how Suzanne Fagence Cooper made connections between Rossetti's drawings/sketches of Jane and his insulting and mean hearted doodles of his friend William relating to the progression of his affair. My heart was full of sadness for William. This is just a taste of what readers I am sure want to know. Also, another wonderful surprise was reading one theory that it was Sarah Prinsep who taught Jane Morris how to become a lady by educating her on how to entertain and be a supporting wife. Jane apparently lived at Little Holland House with Sarah, her husband and a menagerie of painters and poets. I hope this is true!
I was fascinated by the relationship between William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement when it came to the business side of how fabrics and wallpapers were made. He was a creative genius of a man who lectured and traveled quite a lot. However, as the marriage progressed, Jane would give birth to two daughters Jenny and May Morris. Jane was an absolute doting mother who would do anything for her girls. William was the soft, mushy, sweet funny storytelling and playing with the girls dad that one would expect.
At the end of the day, How We Might Live shows how a marriage works and survives throughout affairs, illness, fighting, business profit loss, etc. To cope with Jane's affair, William believing he could not give Jane what she needed, chose to travel to Iceland, getting away to think things over. In the end, as William aged and his health grew poorer, they came together as a stronger couple who talked things out privately. When William Morris passed away, it was Jane Morris who continued to keep the business running along with her grown daughter May Morris who would eventually take over after Jane's passing.
Swirling around The Morrises were many favorites of The Pre-Raphaelite Circle: Lizzie Siddal is discussed throughout How We Might Live in association with her relationship and marriage to Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Also mentioned was Lizzie's childhood friend, Emma Madox Brown who according to her diary was, E.D. Emma Drunk, wife of Ford Madox Brown. John Ruskin makes a few appearances as a friend of William Morris in his love of Medieval and Gothic. Red Lion Mary is introduced as helping the painters out during their times when paintings were not selling. Fanny Cornforth is mentioned once in passing. Mostly, it is Edward Burne-Jones, wife Georgie, kids, Philip and Margaret as supporting cast.
June 19, 2023
The author, Suzanne Cooper, of How We Might Live: At Home With Jane and William Morris, does an admirable job of living up to her goal with this meticulously researched book, which is to enlighten readers on how both Jane and William Morris collaborated to bring the iconic design elements of what we now call the Arts and Crafts style. I listened to a podcast with Cooper in which she discussed how her goal with the book was to highlight the unrecognized influence of Morris’ wife Jane on his iconic designs, despite the challenges of a dearth of written documents by Jane’s hand or others about Jane specifically. She meets her goal for the most part.
Cooper writes extensively about William and Jane, and their various friendships, many of whom were part of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB) of painters. It was interesting to read how they influenced one another in the early years. Collaborative work within the group eventually ended. One contributing factor was Jane's lifelong affair with the PRB artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti, whom Jane began modelling for in her late teens. This is how Jane (who was from the working-class) met the collective of artists in the first place. Morris, who associated closely with the PRB group, is the one who married Jane. They had two daughters, yet her affair with Rossetti continued until Rossetti’s death in 1882.
I learned most about William Morris from the book. He is often cited as the founder of the Arts and Crafts movement, and I am more of a fan of him than ever after reading the book. Morris not only developed furniture, gardens, and architectural elements but also iconic wallpapers and textiles that are still in production today. Remarkable, given that these were developed in the 1860s and 1870s.
Cooper does an excellent job of describing Morris’ many activities, which included writing poems, starting a printing company in 1891 that he called The Kelmscott Press (named after one of their houses where they installed the press), travelling to Iceland, and his heavy involvement in social activism. Yet Morris comes across as a tortured soul, likely due to his wife’s relationship with his one-time friend Rosetti.
How We Might Live is a fabulous book that does a fine job of delving into the lives of the individuals behind the Arts and Crafts movement, but it still appears to me to be primarily William Morris, with Jane an elusive shadow in the background.
Anyone who is interested in design, or who enjoys good biographies will love this book.
Cooper writes extensively about William and Jane, and their various friendships, many of whom were part of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB) of painters. It was interesting to read how they influenced one another in the early years. Collaborative work within the group eventually ended. One contributing factor was Jane's lifelong affair with the PRB artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti, whom Jane began modelling for in her late teens. This is how Jane (who was from the working-class) met the collective of artists in the first place. Morris, who associated closely with the PRB group, is the one who married Jane. They had two daughters, yet her affair with Rossetti continued until Rossetti’s death in 1882.
I learned most about William Morris from the book. He is often cited as the founder of the Arts and Crafts movement, and I am more of a fan of him than ever after reading the book. Morris not only developed furniture, gardens, and architectural elements but also iconic wallpapers and textiles that are still in production today. Remarkable, given that these were developed in the 1860s and 1870s.
Cooper does an excellent job of describing Morris’ many activities, which included writing poems, starting a printing company in 1891 that he called The Kelmscott Press (named after one of their houses where they installed the press), travelling to Iceland, and his heavy involvement in social activism. Yet Morris comes across as a tortured soul, likely due to his wife’s relationship with his one-time friend Rosetti.
How We Might Live is a fabulous book that does a fine job of delving into the lives of the individuals behind the Arts and Crafts movement, but it still appears to me to be primarily William Morris, with Jane an elusive shadow in the background.
Anyone who is interested in design, or who enjoys good biographies will love this book.
September 30, 2023
Having just been to see the Rossettis exhibition at the Tate I was really excited to read this. The exhibition worked hard to include Christina Rossetti and give her her due. It also looked at the women who were wives, muses and often fellow artists. Seeing Rossetti's infatuation with Jane writ large in the paintings he made of her, I was curious to find out more about her in relation to Morris and in her own right. This book tries its best to restore Jane to personhood rather than housewife, muse or sex object and it only partially succeeds in my eyes. That is largely to do with the fact that Jane was a fairly mysterious woman of low birth, who lived a highly unconventional life and did what she could to keep her private life as private as possible. There isn't a lot of evidence to tell us much about Jane except through the eyes of those who knew her and who had their own agendas. It attempts to empower both Jane and William within their life together and their complicated marriage and focuses on the things that worked, rather than the prurient interest of everyone else in what went wrong. I enjoyed most of it. The bits where the author has had to fill in the gaps, less so.
May 25, 2025
I just adored this. Such interesting people with such interesting ideas, and told so beautifully with the perfect amount of poetic licence. Kind of wish I was their daughter - new(ish) motto is to be more Morris.
June 30, 2022
Instantly engaging, and thoroughly researched, this is an evocative art and nature-filled delight.
If you don't know much about the Morris family, this will be a glorious introduction to them. If you've read any other books about them, you will still learn something new.
I raced through this book, loving the informed, easy-flowing prose showing the everyday lives behind the art and politics .
Jane Morris apparently said "Why should there be any special record of me when I have never done any special work?". This book shows Jane was more than worthy of special record, alongside her husband.
A joy to read that would also make a great gift for anyone who likes the Arts and Crafts movement; would like to learn more about it; or is just looking for a pleasurable escape.
If you don't know much about the Morris family, this will be a glorious introduction to them. If you've read any other books about them, you will still learn something new.
I raced through this book, loving the informed, easy-flowing prose showing the everyday lives behind the art and politics .
Jane Morris apparently said "Why should there be any special record of me when I have never done any special work?". This book shows Jane was more than worthy of special record, alongside her husband.
A joy to read that would also make a great gift for anyone who likes the Arts and Crafts movement; would like to learn more about it; or is just looking for a pleasurable escape.
October 16, 2025
Somehow Jane Morris is as much an enigma after reading this book as she was before. With what materials she has at her disposal, Cooper complicates the mythos surrounding Jane and in doing so also brings greater complexity to William Morris' status as an icon.
On one hand, it's hard not to see their coupledom as tragic. Jane was doomed to fall from the pedestal Morris put her on. Morris also doomed himself when he decided to marry a woman who, due to economic and social circumstances, would have been unwise to refuse him despite her own lack of personal attraction towards him. Romantically and sexually incompatible, temperamentally opposite, the marriage never fully satisfied either of them.
But Cooper does a good job of showing the more complete Venn diagram. They’re not a perfect circle, but then what couple is? When it came to sociability, personal tastes, religiosity, child-rearing, artistic proclivities and philosophies they were well matched. Considering this, the marriage was actually a great success. Maybe they would have been better friends than spouses? We’ll never know.
Most accounts of William Morris capture his multi-dimensional personality. On one hand brash, tactless, naïve, he could on the other hand be extremely thoughtful, creative, wise, humble. The man was full of contradictions and Cooper shows he was not alone.
Jane herself continually disappointed and then surprised in this account. On one hand, the woman had horrific taste in men. A woman who was judicious in, from what we can tell, all other aspects of her life, Jane fell for and had romantic dalliances with at least two men who were petty, jealous, lecherous, and faithless. This was disappointing! Even if it wasn’t surprising.
What was surprising was her ability to stay friends with past lovers. She herself doesn’t seem to be petty or vindictive. These men brought something to the table she needed and wanted, but when that need and want passed she was able to take it all—and them-- in good stride. In this way, at least in emotional maturity, she and William--who also took her sexual dissatisfaction and affairs in stride—were a match.
There are other instances in which I shook my head, thinking “Jane, you silly twat”. Like when she disagreed with the suffragettes over tactics, like when she kept Rosetti’s nasty jealous cartoons of William her whole damn life. But then in the next passage she would impress me with her thoughtfulness, the care and kindness she extended to William, her interest in life and the world and beauty.
So I think it’s fair to say that Cooper succeeds in her thesis: Jane was neither the beatific ‘Divine One’ portrayed in pre-Raphaelite paintings nor the cold-hearted bitch as she was cast by passers-by: she was...simply…an ever-enigmatic human.
On one hand, it's hard not to see their coupledom as tragic. Jane was doomed to fall from the pedestal Morris put her on. Morris also doomed himself when he decided to marry a woman who, due to economic and social circumstances, would have been unwise to refuse him despite her own lack of personal attraction towards him. Romantically and sexually incompatible, temperamentally opposite, the marriage never fully satisfied either of them.
But Cooper does a good job of showing the more complete Venn diagram. They’re not a perfect circle, but then what couple is? When it came to sociability, personal tastes, religiosity, child-rearing, artistic proclivities and philosophies they were well matched. Considering this, the marriage was actually a great success. Maybe they would have been better friends than spouses? We’ll never know.
Most accounts of William Morris capture his multi-dimensional personality. On one hand brash, tactless, naïve, he could on the other hand be extremely thoughtful, creative, wise, humble. The man was full of contradictions and Cooper shows he was not alone.
Jane herself continually disappointed and then surprised in this account. On one hand, the woman had horrific taste in men. A woman who was judicious in, from what we can tell, all other aspects of her life, Jane fell for and had romantic dalliances with at least two men who were petty, jealous, lecherous, and faithless. This was disappointing! Even if it wasn’t surprising.
What was surprising was her ability to stay friends with past lovers. She herself doesn’t seem to be petty or vindictive. These men brought something to the table she needed and wanted, but when that need and want passed she was able to take it all—and them-- in good stride. In this way, at least in emotional maturity, she and William--who also took her sexual dissatisfaction and affairs in stride—were a match.
There are other instances in which I shook my head, thinking “Jane, you silly twat”. Like when she disagreed with the suffragettes over tactics, like when she kept Rosetti’s nasty jealous cartoons of William her whole damn life. But then in the next passage she would impress me with her thoughtfulness, the care and kindness she extended to William, her interest in life and the world and beauty.
So I think it’s fair to say that Cooper succeeds in her thesis: Jane was neither the beatific ‘Divine One’ portrayed in pre-Raphaelite paintings nor the cold-hearted bitch as she was cast by passers-by: she was...simply…an ever-enigmatic human.
September 18, 2023
mixed feelings about this book. certainly an incredible account of the Morris family, as well as those close to them. the book in a lovely way tells the history of the Pre-Raphaelite and Arts and Crafts movement through the details of the individual artists and their (often complicated) relationships to each other. further, I found William's life ideals inspiring and attractive, which I expect will help me better appreciate the various Morris and Co patterns that scatter my own home.
yet, there were a few things which got in the way of deeply appreciating this book. first, it is simply too long. there are often pages and pages of basically irrelevant detail, and much speculation by the author on the inner emotional worlds of Jane and the other women who left behind fewer letters/artifacts/etc than their male counterparts. the length also inevitably leads to some sloppy writing at parts which can make the timeline feel confused. the author also all but glorifies Jane's infidelity to William, as if trying to make her a sort of feminist icon. William is the work-a-holic (whether it be his art or his socialism) and so Jane is justified in her stepping beyond the cultural expectations of a woman in her place. I think much of this comes from trying to argue for Jane's significance and influence on the Morris and Co empire, but this could easily be done with out seeking to justify her multiple affairs.
yet, there were a few things which got in the way of deeply appreciating this book. first, it is simply too long. there are often pages and pages of basically irrelevant detail, and much speculation by the author on the inner emotional worlds of Jane and the other women who left behind fewer letters/artifacts/etc than their male counterparts. the length also inevitably leads to some sloppy writing at parts which can make the timeline feel confused. the author also all but glorifies Jane's infidelity to William, as if trying to make her a sort of feminist icon. William is the work-a-holic (whether it be his art or his socialism) and so Jane is justified in her stepping beyond the cultural expectations of a woman in her place. I think much of this comes from trying to argue for Jane's significance and influence on the Morris and Co empire, but this could easily be done with out seeking to justify her multiple affairs.
August 19, 2025
This is a huge tome and heavy-going at some points, but an absolutely fascinating close look at the lives of Jane and William Morris. I have always admired the designs of fabric and wallpaper and the philosophy of the Arts and Crafts Movement so was immediately attracted to the book. It was really interesting to read about them as full, flawed characters - their relationship, their friendships, the affairs that stretched the bounds of their marriage, alongside the amazing work they both did to build a lasting legacy. So much I didn’t know. It’s definitely a book I will go back to.
April 16, 2024
A truly superb biography. I picked this up on a whim when planning a trip to Kelmscott, and the result is that I fell hard for William and Jane Morris — their lives, their work, their homes, their philosophies about art and society, their politics… I am walking away from this book feeling challenged and inspired on the topic of How We Might Live. I don’t think I’ll ever think about commerce and industrialization in the same way!
September 6, 2024
I enjoyed this book so much! What an absolute delight to immerse oneself in the extraordinary lives of William and Jane Morris and their circle of friends. Much credit goes to the author for bringing their Victorian lives to life in such an imminently readable way. Their stories will stay with me for a long time and I’ll look forward to reflecting on their lives when I’m next in Oxford and Holywell Street. Truly, this is a remarkable book.
November 15, 2023
If you are interested in the William Morris story and philosophy, you will enjoy this book. It talks about William as a person and his relationship with his wife Jane. A story that has not previously been told or has been told from the view of men of a certain era who perhaps wanted to portray William in a particular way. It is very real and non-judgemental. I highly recommend.
October 1, 2022
Completely brilliant book. If you thought you knew everything about the Pre-Raphaelites, you don't! A must read.
February 16, 2023
Provides fascinating details about Jane and William Morris and the houses they lived in.
October 21, 2023
Thank you for this work.
December 18, 2023
Thorough but engaging depiction for the life of William Morris, Jane Morris, and their friends and family.
August 14, 2024
Fascinating insight on the amazing William Morris and Jane, his wife.
October 15, 2024
So invested I was shocked and mournful when it got to the part where William Morris died…like you’re telling me he’s not still alive?!
December 19, 2024
Wished it was a little shorter struggled towards the end picking it up but it could be that i had lost interest in the morris family
October 26, 2025
really interesting account of the Morris's. with focus on Jane. was enjoying but had to return to the library. to be continued.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews