William Morris: Arts & Crafts Designs Notecard Folio

Have nothing in your houses which you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.—William Morris Believing that art could and should find expression in utilitarian objects that could be enjoyed as part of everyday life, William Morris worked in a wide range of fields, including textiles, furniture, tiles, glass, and wallpaper. His sensibility dramatically influenced typography, printing, and interior design. His genius shone particularly brightly in the design of complex, balanced, intricately repetitive floral patterns applicable to textiles and wallpaper—as represented in these notecards. Contains five each of the following notecards: Lily and Pomegranate pattern (detail), 1886 Spring Thicket pattern (detail), 1894

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.