“Have nothing … that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” —Wm Morris
A huge influence on the Arts and Crafts movement, William Morris revived block printing and vegetable dyeing. He set up looms for weaving tapestry and hand-knotting carpets in his home. His designs were also translated into stained glass. He was a knowledgeable textile historian, and fascinated by medieval history and medieval architecture.
Morris was the most successful textile designer and manufacturer of his day, with two London shops selling silk, cotton, and gauze. He designed and decorated parts of what’s now the Victoria & Albert. This museum has 1,100 objects connected to Morris—mainly textile and wallpaper, in various colours and scales, for interior decorating. Copyright on his repeating patterns of vegetation, flowers, and birds, recently expired, which fuelled a revival of these textile designs.
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