William Morris valuation
English designer, writer and socialist, and the central figure of the Arts and Crafts movement.
William Morris (1834–1896) was born in Walthamstow and went to Exeter College, Oxford, where he met Edward Burne-Jones.
What a work by William Morris is worth
Send photographs and whatever paperwork came with it. The first question is what the work actually is — edition or unique, when, and in what condition — because everything else follows from the answer. A valuation is free, made online from the photographs you send, and it commits you to nothing. We act for sellers across the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States.
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Bio
William Morris (1834–1896) was born in Walthamstow and went to Exeter College, Oxford, where he met Edward Burne-Jones. Philip Webb built Red House in Bexleyheath for him in 1859 and 1860, and in 1861 he founded the decorating firm Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co., later Morris & Co., which made stained glass, furniture, wallpaper, textiles and tapestry. His pattern designs include Trellis, Daisy and The Strawberry Thief of 1883. He was also a poet, a campaigner for the protection of old buildings and a socialist, and his novel News from Nowhere appeared in 1890. In 1891 he founded the Kelmscott Press, whose edition of Chaucer was published in 1896.
What comes to market is textiles, wallpapers, tiles, stained glass, furniture from the firm and books from the Kelmscott Press. Morris & Co. went on making his designs for decades after his lifetime and other makers have reprinted them since, so a buyer will want to know when a piece was made. Selvedge marks, printed stamps and bills of sale help. Textiles should be checked for fading, moth and repairs, and books for binding, foxing and whether they are complete.
At a glance
- Born
- 24 March 1834, Walthamstow
- Died
- 3 October 1896, Hammersmith
- Movement
- Arts and Crafts
Whitebank Fine Art is an art advisory and gallery, not an auction house, and is not affiliated with any auction house or with the artist, their estate or their representatives. This page describes the range we advise on. Nothing here is investment advice.
