William Morris Boxed Notecard Assortment

A fierce foe of modernity, William Morris (English, 1834–1896) drew inspiration from the Middle Ages, when artist and craftsman were considered equals. He believed that decoration, in its finest form, gives pleasure to those who use it as well as to those who make it. So after training as an architect, he founded a decorating company with friends to produce glasswork, metalwork, and countless other crafts, including many textiles he designed himself. The gorgeous floral and foliate wallpaper designs on these notecards were selected from a sample book of William Morris and Company published around the turn of the 20th century. Contains five each of the following notecards: Single Stem pattern (detail), before 1917 Orchard pattern (detail), before 1917 Seaweed pattern (detail), before 1917 Pimpernel pattern (detail), before 1917

William Morris

A leader of the Arts and Crafts movement—which valued handicrafts over mass-produced goods—William Morris (English, 1834–1896) was also a writer, a founder of England’s socialist movement, and a designer of typefaces, fabrics, and wallpapers. He believed that decoration, in its finest form, gives pleasure to those who use it, as well as to those who make it. So after training as an architect, he cofounded a decorating company to produce glasswork, metalwork, and countless other crafts, including many textiles he designed himself. His genius shone brightly in the design of complex, intricately repetitive patterns. His work defines the best of Victorian fashion and was important to the development of Art Nouveau. Morris’s designs are as elegant today as when they came off his drawing board.