William Morris & Other 19th Century Book Designers

William Morris (1834-1896) greatly influenced the Victorian age as a member of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, which believed the medieval world was a purer form of society than the post-Renaissance world because of its closer ties to nature. Morris, a textile designer, artist, writer, poet and socialist, combined aesthetic and social reform into the Arts and Crafts Movement (1850-1900). This movement was a response to the Industrial Revolution, as it was feared that industrialization would destroy nature. To Morris, the study of nature was a spiritual antidote to the decline in society resulting from the Industrial Revolution. 

Morris was skilled in a wide variety of design techniques, believing in the hands-on approach to artistic creativity.  He founded the Kelmscott Press in 1891, which published high quality books and was influential in the revival of the private press. Lehigh Special Collections holds a copy of The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer now newly imprinted published by the Kelmscott Press. For his press, Morris designed and cut the typefaces, ornamental borders, and title pages based on the style of medieval manuscripts. The Arts and Crafts Movement influenced art education as represented by the Art Workers Guild, of which a founding member, Walter Crane, is also represented in this exhibit.