"My work is the embodiment of dreams"
Morris & Co. was founded by the most influential designer of the 19th century, William Morris (24 March 1834 - 3 October 1896), in 1861. Inspired by his love of medieval art and true to the spirit of the Arts and Crafts Movement, Morris wanted to revive the traditions of hand craftmanship after the Industrial Revolution.
(Picture via https://fineartamerica.com/featured/1-cray-pattern-william-morris.html?product=poster)
The founding partners of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Company were: Ford Madox Brown, Dante Gabriel Rossetti (the founding father of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood), Peter Paul Marshall, Philip Webb, Charles James Faulkner, Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris (leader of the Arts and Crafts Movement). The company first concentrated on designs for stained glass, architectural carving, tapestries, embroidery and furniture.
Jasmine wallpaper, 1872
(Image from https://poulwebb.blogspot.hu/)
In 1875 Morris took full control and set up a new company, trading as Morris and Company. By this time, the product line included wallpapers, textiles, ceramics, glass, brassware and glazed tiles. These were Morris' most creative years as a textile pattern designer. He was a versatile artist: next to his remarkable talent as a designer he was a prolific writer (not only on design but on political issues as well), poet and lecturer.
The Strawberry Thief textile
(Image from https://poulwebb.blogspot.hu/)
"Today Morris & Co. guarantees authentic versions of those designs alongside new interpretations, using innovations in printing and weaving technology to create up-to-date fabric and wallpaper designs with timeless appeal." (Quote from https://www.william-morris.co.uk/index.aspx)