The Art of Wallpaper: Morris & Co, York Art Gallery

The famous quote ‘have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful’ sums up William Morris. In his time, he was an activist who championed craft skills and workers' rights.

His legacy resonates today and homes are adorned with his pattern designs.

Born in 1834, William Morris started designing wallpapers in the 1860s, and within a decade he was creating some of his most enduring designs including 'Larkspur', 'Jasmine' (both 1872), and 'Willow' (1874). Not just an Arts & Crafts textile designer, he was a radical Socialist, campaigner and poet, who championed the importance of craft skills and workers’ rights in the face of mass industrialisation. His aim? To democratise good design and make it accessible to the masses, hence that famous quote.

William Morris, a devotee of craftsmanship and simplicity York Art Gallery showcases the archive of Morris & Co., the original home of the Arts & Crafts textile designer William Morris, to celebrate the artist, his work, influence and legacy in UK wallpaper innovation. The largest section of the exhibition will focus on William Morris and his legacy as a designer, writer, poet, translator, publisher, fervent socialist, environmentalist and protector of ancient buildings. Including framed original samples, the exhibition will transport visitors into the 19th and 20th-century interiors for which these wallpapers were produced with carefully chosen pieces of upholstered furniture in Morris & Co. fabrics to bring the story alive. The show charts wallpapers by acclaimed 19th and 20th-century designers, including Morris, Owen Jones, Dresser, Pugin, and C.F.A. Voysey. The wallpapers convey the charms of Morris’s designs, who advocated for ‘a beautiful life’.

York Art Gallery’s curator of ceramics Dr Helen Walsh, is excited to have the opportunity to bring this exhibition to York Art Gallery and “to showcase over a hundred of the most famous original wallpaper designs created by William Morris and his contemporaries. Morris was the iconic figurehead of the Arts & Crafts movement during the 19th century, whose designs were inspired by nature. The exhibition features over 130 works from the Sanderson and Morris & Co. archives from the 1830s to the 1920s.

Blackthorn, 1892 William Morris for Morris & Co. Courtesy of Sanderson Design Group It traces the history of Morris & Co. from its founding, and key works featured include rare formal Victorian designs that predate Morris, Victorian woodblocks, and ‘kinkarakawakami’, Japanese wallpaper produced for export, which influenced the designer.”

York is the first location to host the exhibition, presented by Dovecot Studios, the acclaimed tapestry studio in Edinburgh, in partnership with Morris & Co. Dovecot Gallery is a landmark centre for contemporary art, craft, and design. Established in 1912, Dovecot continues a century-long heritage of collaboration with international artists to make exceptional and engaging works of art. Sanderson Design Group PLC is a luxury interior furnishings company that designs, manufactures and markets wallpapers, fabrics and paints. In addition, the company derives licensing income from the use of its designs on a wide range of products.

Fruit, 1864 William Morris Courtesy of Sanderson Design Group A collective of six quintessentially British luxury interior brands make up Sanderson Design Group’s portfolio, including Sanderson and Morris & Co. Founded in 1860, Arthur Sanderson & Sons was the forerunner to Sanderson, initiating many of the group's early acquisitions, including Morris & Co. in 1941, and signifying the beginning of its treasured archive that houses a vast collection of documents, archived fabrics, wallpapers and printing blocks dating back to the 16th century. Encapsulating an impressive history of the brands, the archive continues to provide a reference point for the design studios today.

Caitlin Stracey, archive and design manager, Sanderson Design Group, is thrilled to continue the tour of The Art of Wallpaper exhibition, originally curated by Mary Schoeser, which delves into the rich Sanderson Design Group Archive.

The timeless designs of William Morris continue to be hugely popular in contemporary interiors - such as this Fruit Primrose archive design. blinds-2go.co.uk 'The exhibition explores changing taste and style from the mid 19th to early 20th century, offering a unique cross-section of design and manufacturing from the period. Highlights include works by William Morris, founder of Morris & Co. and the pioneering figure of the Arts & Crafts Movement, and designs by his successor, John Henry Dearle. With over 100 original wallpapers on display, accompanied by examples of pages from manufacturing logbooks and authentic woodblocks, this exhibition offers a rare glimpse into the treasure trove of our archive and the iconic pieces that continue to inspire our brands, including Morris & Co., today.'

‘The Art of Wallpaper: Morris & Co.,’ continues the momentum that York Art Gallery has enjoyed with National Treasures: Monet in York – ‘The Water-Lily Pond’. The Gallery’s collection of paintings spans more than 600 years and works range from 14th century Italian panels and 17th century Dutch masterpieces to Victorian narrative paintings and 20th century works by LS Lowry and David Hockney. The Gallery also holds the most extensive and representative collection of British Studio Ceramics, thanks to the acquisition of collections from Dean Milner–White, WA Ismay and Henry Rothschild and the long term loan of Anthony Shaw’s collection. Highlights are on show in the Centre of Ceramic Art (CoCA). The Gallery and its collections are cared for by the charity York Museums Trust, established in 2002.

York Art Gallery. York Museums Trust ‘The Art of Wallpaper: Morris & Co runs until February 23, 2025 and also includes a programme of accompanying talks and demonstrations. As William Morris said, “There is no excuse for doing anything which is not strikingly beautiful” and the exhibition bears this out perfectly.