William Morris: Arts and Crafts Designs Book of Postcards

Social progressive and voluble Socialist, art theorist and architect, fine art printer and publisher—to name a very few of his passions other than design—William Morris was a genius of strong opinions, stronger enthusiasms, and unquenchable energy. An area in which Morris’s light shone especially brightly was in the design of complex, balanced, intricately repetitive print patterns. His work defines the best of Victorian fashion and foreshadows his breakthrough into the Arts and Crafts aesthetic. The 30 full-color postcards bound in this collection offer a concise overview of Morris’s aesthetic as produced in wallpaper and fabric designs.

William Morris

A leader of the Arts and Crafts movement—which valued handicrafts over mass-produced goods—William Morris (English, 1834–1896) was also a writer, a founder of England’s socialist movement, and a designer of typefaces, fabrics, and wallpapers. He believed that decoration, in its finest form, gives pleasure to those who use it, as well as to those who make it. So after training as an architect, he cofounded a decorating company to produce glasswork, metalwork, and countless other crafts, including many textiles he designed himself. His genius shone brightly in the design of complex, intricately repetitive patterns. His work defines the best of Victorian fashion and was important to the development of Art Nouveau. Morris’s designs are as elegant today as when they came off his drawing board.