Lesley judd biography of william morris

William Morris 24 March — 3 October was an English textile designer , poet, artist, [ 1 ] writer, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement. He was a major contributor to the revival of traditional British textile arts and methods of production. Morris was born in Walthamstow , Essex , to a wealthy middle-class family.

Leslie William Judd - to Birth: 7 Mar Chelmsford, Essex.

He came under the strong influence of medievalism while studying classics at Oxford University , where he joined the Birmingham Set. The firm profoundly influenced interior decoration throughout the Victorian period , with Morris designing tapestries, wallpaper, fabrics, furniture, and stained glass windows. Morris rented the rural retreat of Kelmscott Manor , Oxfordshire , from while also retaining a main home in London.

In , he founded the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings to campaign against the damage caused by architectural restoration. By the influence of medievalism and Christian socialism in the s he became a sceptic of industrial capitalism, after reading works of Henry George , Alfred Russel Wallace , and Karl Marx in the s Morris became a committed revolutionary socialist activist until his final acceptance of parliamentary socialism at In , he founded the Kelmscott Press to publish limited-edition, illuminated -style print books, a cause to which he devoted his final years.

Morris is recognised as one of the most significant cultural figures of Victorian Britain. He was best known in his lifetime as a poet, although he posthumously became better known for his designs.

Biographical/Historical Note.

The William Morris Society founded in is devoted to his legacy, while multiple biographies and studies of his work have been published. Many of the buildings associated with his life are open to visitors, much of his work can be found in art galleries and museums, and his designs are still in production. Charles had been followed by the birth of two girls, Emma in and Henrietta in , before William's birth.

These children were followed by the birth of siblings Stanley in , Rendall in , Arthur in , Isabella in , Edgar in , and Alice in As a child, Morris was kept largely housebound at Elm House by his mother; there, he spent much time reading, favouring the novels of Walter Scott.