Art Guide · Painters
William Morris
1834–1896
William Morris (1834–1896) was an English designer, poet and writer and the founder of the Arts and Crafts movement. His textile and wallpaper patterns of plants and birds, above all Strawberry Thief, remain hugely popular.
Last updated: · Iconica Society editors
Life
Born into a wealthy family, he studied at Oxford, where he met his lifelong friend the painter Edward Burne-Jones and entered the Pre-Raphaelite circle. In 1861 he founded a firm making furniture, stained glass, textiles and wallpaper, later renamed Morris & Co.
He championed craftsmanship and good design against industrial mass production, and was also a socialist thinker and writer. In his last years he founded the Kelmscott Press to print beautiful books.
Style and key works
Morris’s patterns repeat natural forms in a symmetrical, rhythmic order. Strawberry Thief (1883) was inspired by thrushes stealing strawberries in his garden at Kelmscott Manor and was produced with a painstaking indigo printing technique. His designs are still in production and are among the most recognisable textile patterns in the world.
Key works
Shop William Morris posters →
Frequently asked questions
What was the Arts and Crafts movement?
A late-19th-century British movement that championed craftsmanship, nature-inspired design and good materials against mass production; Morris was its leading figure.
What does the Strawberry Thief pattern show?
Thrushes stealing strawberries in the garden of Morris’s country house, among flowers and leaves.