Morris & Co. -past to present

It is proven that very pleasant experiences are those incidents we remember most vividly…

During our daily stroll Julian and I recently stopped by a wallpaper & fabric shop here in Malmö, Sweden. The small cellar windows are beautifully decorated with different patterns and colorful fabrics. I stood there daydreaming about owning a 20-plus room home where I freely could decorate every room differently using these amazing collections, but yet bring them all together.

Anyhow, while distracted in thought, I saw a fabulous centerfold by Morris & Co. It had an antique look to it and for some reason it caught my attention. After meeting my husband my appreciation for old things have grown into an obsession- we truly enjoy treasure hunting, especially in Sweden where old things oftentimes lose a home and meaning.

A few weeks later I remembered those pages and there was something in me saying -who is Morris? Sure enough, their wallpaper patterns have been around for over 150 years and here is the fascinating story behind these stunning designs:
The story starts back in 1861, when the original Company of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Company was founded.

"The business initially concentrated on ecclesiastical decoration including stained glass, architectural carving, tapestries, embroidery and furniture. The business was located in London’s Red Lion Square, but in 1865 the shop and workshops were moved to larger premises in Queens Square, Bloomsbury. The new Company, trading as Morris & Co. was re-organised and set up in 1875 and by 1878 a new showroom had been opened on Oxford Street, this being the first employment for John Henry Dearle as an assistant. Morris soon recognised Dearle’s artistic talents and promoted him to create tapestry designs and subsequently to Chief Designer at Merton Abbey.Morris & Co. was now accepting commissions for complete interior decorating schemes, but also sold a wide collection of furnishings to the general public. Amongst some of the most popular items sold by the firm were the embroidery kits designed predominantly by William Morris, Philip Webb and Edward Burne-Jones. By this time, the product line had increased to encompass wallpapers, textiles, ceramics, glass, brassware and glazed tiles.

Frustrated by the lack of space at Queens Square, a site at Merton Abbey was purchased in 1881 to enable manufacturing and weaving of both carpets and tapestries, vat dyeing and calico printing together with the designing, painting and leading of stained glass windows.Morris designed his first three repeating wallpapers; Daisy, Trellis and Fruit in 1864 (see below for picture)

however, failing in all his attempts to print these papers with engraved zinc plates, Morris approached Jeffrey & Company, the famous wallpaper block printers in Islington and asked their Managing Director, Metford Warner, who was renowned for his artistic sensitivity, to produce these first papers. After successful trials Morris entrusted all his wallpapers to Jeffrey & Company, who continued to print all Morris & Co. wallpapers until 1927 when the wallpaper blocks were transferred to the Sanderson factory at Chiswick.After Morris’s death in 1896, the factory at Merton Abbey continued under his junior partners. In 1905, the Company was renamed Morris & Co. Decorators Ltd., under the directorship of Henry Marillier. In 1925, the Company was yet again renamed, Morris & Company Artworkers Ltd., with John Henry Dearle being the Art Director. However, on his death in 1932, artistic prowess was lost resulting in poor quality, which in turn depleted their market share.

The order book shrank and with the advent of World War II, the Company went into liquidation in 1940 at which time Arthur Sanderson & Sons purchased the Company known as Morris & Co Artworkers Ltd, together with all the printing blocks, showroom wallpaper and fabric samples, stocks and stand books for the sum of four hundred pounds. The block printed wallpapers continued to be produced at the Sanderson Perivale factory.In 1965, Sanderson re-launched Morris & Co. wallpapers and fabrics and in 1985, the Morris & Co. and Sanderson brands were marketed under their separate identities. Today the brands of Sanderson and Morris & Co. continue to grow…"