Chapter I: Preface

The personal life of William Morris is already known to us through Mr. Mackail's admirable biography as fully, probably, as we shall ever know it. My own endeavour has been to present a picture of Morris's busy career perhaps not less vivid for the absence of much detail, and showing only the man and his work as they appeared to the outer public.

I have used as a basis for my narrative, the volumes by Mr. Mackail; _William Morris, his Art, his Writings, and his Public Life_, by Aymer Vallance; _The Books of William Morris_, by H. Buxton Forman; numerous articles in periodicals, and Morris's own varied works.

I wish to express my indebtedness to Mr. Bulkley of 42 East 14th Street, New York City, for permission to reproduce a number of Morris patterns in his possession, notably a fragment of the St. James's wall-paper.

Much material for the letter-press and for the illustrations I have obtained through the Boston Public Library. The _Froissart_ pages were found there and most of the Kelmscott publications from which I have quoted.

The bibliography is that prepared by Mr. S. C. Cockerell for the last volume of Mr. Morris issued by the Kelmscott Press, under the title of _A Note by William Morris on His Aims in Founding the Kelmscott Press_. To the Cockerell bibliography have been added a few notes of my own.

E. L. C.

BROOKLYN, Sept. 10, 1902.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER PAGE

I.--BOYHOOD 1

II.--OXFORD LIFE 21

III.--FROM ROSSETTI TO THE RED HOUSE 46

IV.--MORRIS AND COMPANY 69

V.--FROM THE RED HOUSE TO KELMSCOTT 96

VI.--POETRY 114

VII.--PUBLIC LIFE AND SOCIALISM 146

VIII.--PUBLIC LIFE AND SOCIALISM (_Continued_) 174

IX.--LITERATURE OF THE SOCIALIST PERIOD 194

X.--THE KELMSCOTT PRESS 219

XI.--LATER WRITINGS 239

XII.--THE END 255

BIBLIOGRAPHY 269

INDEX 291

ILLUSTRATIONS.

_Page_

_William Morris_ _Frontispiece_
_From Life._

_Title-page of "The Oxford and Cambridge Magazine"_ _32_

_Portrait of Rossetti_ _36_
_By Watts._

_Illustration by Rossetti to "The Lady of Shalott" in the
Moxon "Tennyson." The Head of Launcelot is a Portrait of
Morris_ _42_

_Portrait of Jane Burden (Mrs. Morris)_ _58_
_By Rossetti_

_Wall-Paper and Cotton-Print Designs_ _60_

_"Acanthus" Wall-Paper_

_"Pimpernel" Wall-Paper_

_"African Marigold" Cotton-Print_

_"These designs must not be taken as exact as to colour
afterwards used, Mr. Morris using the colours to his
hand and afterwards superintending the actual colouring
in the course of manufacture, in most cases many
experimental trials being made before the desired
colouring was actually decided upon."_

_Reproduced from examples obtained by courtesy of Mr.
A. E. Bulkley._

_The Morris designs in this book were reproduced by permission
of Messrs. Morris & Company._

_"The Strawberry Thief" Design for Cotton-Print_ _66_

_Tulip Design for Axminster Carpet_ _70_

_Peacock Design for Coarse Wool Hangings_ _72_

_Painted Wall Decoration Designed by Morris_ _76_

_Painted Wall Decoration Designed by Morris_ _80_

_Design for St. James's Palace Wall-Paper_ _82_
_Reproduced from sample obtained through courtesy of Mr.
Bulkley._

_Early Design for Morris Wall-Paper "Daisy and Columbine"_ _84_

_Chrysanthemum Design for Wall-Paper_ _84_

_Anemone Pattern for Silk and Wool Curtain Material_ _88_

_Portion of Hammersmith Carpet_ _90_

_Secretary Designed by the Morris Co._ _94_
_In possession of Mr. Bulkley._

_Sofa Designed by the Morris Co._ _94_
_In possession of Mr. Bulkley._

_Illustration by Burne-Jones for Projected Edition of "The
Earthly Paradise," Cut on Wood by Morris Himself_ _98_

_Kelmscott Manor House. Two views_ _100_

_Design by Rossetti for Window Executed by Morris & Co.
("The Parable of the Vineyard")_ _110_

_Design by Rossetti for Stained-Glass Window Executed by
the Morris Co. ("The Parable of the Vineyard")_ _110_

_Morris's Bed, with Hangings Designed by Himself and
Embroidered by his Daughter_ _114_

_Kelmscott Manor House from the Orchard_ _118_

_Portrait of Edward Burne-Jones_ _120_
_By Watts._

_William Morris_ _130_

_Picture by Rossetti in which the Children's Faces are
Portraits of May Morris_ _148_

_Honeysuckle Design for Linen_ _162_

_Washing Cloth at the Merton Abbey Works_ _174_

_Merton Abbey Works_ _174_

_Portrait of Mrs. Morris_ _200_
_By Rossetti._

_Study of Mrs. Morris_ _216_
_Made by Rossetti for picture called "The Day Dream."_

_Kelmscott Types_ _220_

_Page from Kelmscott "Chaucer." Illustration by
Burne-Jones. Border and Initial Letter by Morris_ _222_

_Title-page of the Kelmscott "Chaucer"_ _224_

_The Smaller Kelmscott Press-Mark_ _228_

_The Larger Kelmscott Press-Mark_ _228_

_Drawing by Morris of the Letter "h" for Kelmscott Type,
with Notes and Corrections_ _228_

_Specimen Page from the Kelmscott "Froissart"_ _234_
_Projected Edition_