William Morris

He fell in love with Jane Burden and married her on April 26, 1858. They went on to have two daughters, one of whom developed epilepsy during her teens. His wife also had a long affair with Morris’ friend, Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

Both Jane and Morris were extremely happy together for the first 10 years of their marriage, but since a divorce was inconceivable at the time, they lived together until his death.

He died on October 3, 1896, at the age of 62, in London.

William Morris was born on March 24, 1834, in Waltamstow, England, to William Morris and Emma Morris Shelton. He was the third child of his parents, but his earlier two siblings had died in infancy, hence effectively he was the eldest child in the family.

He was an extremely studious child and learned to read from a very early age. By the age of four, he was a child prodigy and had already read most of the Waverly novels.

He was particularly influenced by ‘Arabian Nights’ stories and by the designs in ‘Gerard’s Herbal’. By the time he was 13 years old, his father died; he left behind a wealthy legacy.

In 1848, the family relocated and soon, Morris attended Marlborough College, where he studied for three years. He never showed much interest in academics here and developed a taste only for architecture. He was eventually removed from this school.

He was sent to be tutored by Rev. F. B. Guy, who prepared him for Exeter College, Oxford; an institution he attended in 1852. Here, he studied theology, ecclesiastical history, medieval poetry and art, along with his friend, Edward Burne-Jones.

After passing his exams, he interned as a pupil at the office of George Edmund Street, a leading architect. It was there that he became lifelong friends with the senior clerk, Philipp Webb.

However, during the course of his time, he also took up art and devoted himself to working for an art commission; one which involved him to decorate a roof, depicting one of the scenes from ‘Le Morte D’Arthur’, along with several other artists.

Following his marriage, he concentrated on building a house for his wife and himself.

In 1861, he built an organization with other artists called ‘Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co’. The firm would assume carving, stained glass works, paper-hangings, carpets, metal-works, embroideries, tapestries and printed fabrics works.

After his marriage, he gradually began to lose interest in painting the last of his paintings are dated no longer than 1862. The same year, the works done by the firm was showcased at the 1862 International Exhibition, and within four years of this exhibit, the company began making huge profits.

In 1876, he penned a 10,000 line poem titled, ‘The Story of Sigurd the Volsung and the Fall of the Niblungs’. The poem was heartily received by critics and eminent personalities including George Bernard Shaw and T.E. Lawrence. Although it never received wide readership, it is largely considered one of his greatest works and has gone on to inspire fantasy writers of today including J.R.R. Tolkien and Kevin Crossley-Holland.

‘The Wood Beyond the World’, published by Kelmscott Press in 1894 is regarded as one of the greatest works in ‘fantasy literature’. The novel was reissued by Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series and is believed to be one of the few works that has gone on to inspire modern-day fantasy novels.