Collection | Themes | William Morris age 23, c.1857

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William Morris

William Morris was not only a designer and craftsman; he was also a writer, retailer, and political activist. This tour of ten objects from the collections introduces his remarkable life and career.

William Morris age 23, c.1857 (1915)

Emery Walker (1851 - 1933)

This is a photo of William Morris at a turning point in his life. He was in his early twenties, and had just left university. The formal pose makes him look mild and conservative, but in fact he was surprisingly rebellious; the clenched right hand hints at his determination. His family wanted him to follow a safe and respectable career in the church, but Morris refused; he wanted to become an artist.

Morris tried his hand at architecture, oil painting, calligraphy, embroidery and wood-carving, as well as writing poetry. He eventually hit on his future career as a designer almost by accident. He and his university friend, the artist Edward Burne-Jones, moved into lodgings in London. Since they had no furniture Morris began designing his own. It was the beginning of a lifelong obsession with interior design.

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This photogravure is taken from an original photograph from c.1857 showing William Morris age 23. The photogravure was used as the frontispiece plate in 'The Collected Works of William Morris: Scenes from the Fall of Troy and other poems and fragments,' Volume XXIV, Longmans Green & Co, 1915.

William Morris

William Morris age 23, c.1857 (1915)

Emery Walker (1851 - 1933)

William Morris Gallery

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