More people should know who William Morris is.
Born 177 years today, William Morris (1834-1896) was one of the most celebrated practitioners of the Arts & Crafts Movement, an “international design movement that … flourished between 1880 and 1910.” Four of his designs appear on our blank writing journals.
The Ideal of Craftspeople, The Pride of Personal Handiwork
William Morris embraced the ideal of craftspeople taking pride in their personal handiwork, as opposed to the dehumanizing onslaught of the Industrial Revolution. In creating woven and printed textile patterns (only one area expressed by his remarkable talents), Morris chose to work with the ancient technique of hand woodblock printing. He famously said that any decoration is futile when it does not remind you of something beyond itself.
Morris sought inspiration for his famous repeating patterns from the natural world around him, mille-fleurs tapestries and early prints of herbs as well as the crispness and abundance of exquisite detail in mediæval art. His evocations of antique florals and plants in all their profusion, depth of tone and magical gradation of tints have become design classics gracing the decorative arts, including our writing journal covers:
Morris Birds |
Morris Honeysuckle |
| available in midi and mini format | available in midi and mini format |
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Morris Windrush |
Morris Iris |
| available in midi and micro formats | available in midi and micro formats |
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Which of these four designs is your favourite?
Oooh, Windrush! The colour is fantastic.
I love the windrush design! I love the blue – so gorgeous!