William Morris was a designer, craftsman, poet, novelist, businessman, and social activist. A doctor attributed his cause of death at age 62 to "simply being William Morris, and having done more work than most ten men." His decorative arts firm Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co., known simply as Morris & Co. after 1875, designed and sold household furnishings that were sought after for their elegant, colorful patterns and high-quality materials. Morris insisted on producing goods under fair labor conditions, which set him apart from many Victorian manufacturers for whom industrialism meant imposing grueling hours for low wages in dangerous factories. During an age when rooms were stuffed with mas ...
Read more
1875
Roller printed cotton
76.1 x 95.3cm
1937.579
Image and text: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2023
Where you'll find this
Permanent collection