Dedicated to the life and work of
William Morris
Founded in 1971, the William Morris Society in the United States is a group of scholars and enthusiasts brought together in fellowship by our shared interest in the life and works of the nineteenth-century writer, designer, and political thinker William Morris.
Announcements
Event: Book launch for Critical Histories of the Arts and Crafts Movement
Join us for an online conversation about the new book Critical Histories of the Arts and Crafts Movement (Manchester University Press, October 2026), edited by Thomas Cooper and Imogen Hart. Friday, October 23, at 12:00 noon Eastern Time (9:00 am Pacific Time/11:00...
Event: “Crafty Impressionism: Camille and Lucien Pissarro’s Collaboration on Les Travaux de Champs” with Shelby Bennett
On Friday, April 24, at 12 noon Eastern Time on Zoom, join the William Morris Society in the United States for an online talk on craft and Impressionism by Shelby Bennett. The Society's Conference Travel Grant supported Shelby's participation in the WMS-US-sponsored...
Event: “Wallpaper on Screen: Morris & Company in Set Design” with Sarah Mead Leonard
On Friday, March 27th at 12:30pm Eastern Time, Sarah Mead Leonard will discuss her ongoing Morris & Co. on Screen project, which documents uses of Morris & Company patterns in set design for television and film. She will share how the project contributed to...
A brief introduction to
William Morris
Widely recognized as the leader of the Arts and Crafts movement, Morris advocated for the importance of craft. Believing that art was the expression of ‘pleasure in labour’, Morris’s passion for the arts of everyday life and abhorrence of Victorian industrial society led him to political activism. Influenced by Marxism, anarchism and revolutionary socialism, Morris co-founded the Socialist League, campaigned for workers’ rights, and lectured widely on art, labor, and politics.
Morris was himself a prolific designer in a variety of media. His printed textiles, tapestries, carpets, tiles, and wallpapers transformed Victorian interiors. As founder of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, Morris has had a lasting impact in the field of heritage preservation. Towards the end of his life, his creative energies were focused on book printing.
Morris’s legacies survive today in myriad forms—in his poetry and prose, in his widely reproduced pattern designs, and in artistic, environmental, and political activism inspired by his life and work.
Image: William Morris, “Woodpecker” tapestry. Morris & Co., 1885.
join the society
membership
The William Morris Society in the United States is open to all residents of the US.
Members of the William Morris Society US are also members of the William Morris Society in the UK. They receive our magazine, Useful and Beautiful, and the Journal of William Morris Studies.
We hope you’ll join our community of engaged enthusiasts and scholars.
Events
Event: Book launch for Critical Histories of the Arts and Crafts Movement
Join us for an online conversation about the new book Critical Histories of the Arts and Crafts Movement (Manchester University Press, October 2026), edited by Thomas Cooper and Imogen Hart. Friday, October 23, at 12:00 noon Eastern Time (9:00 am Pacific Time/11:00...
Event: “Crafty Impressionism: Camille and Lucien Pissarro’s Collaboration on Les Travaux de Champs” with Shelby Bennett
On Friday, April 24, at 12 noon Eastern Time on Zoom, join the William Morris Society in the United States for an online talk on craft and Impressionism by Shelby Bennett. The Society's Conference Travel Grant supported Shelby's participation in the WMS-US-sponsored...
Event: “Wallpaper on Screen: Morris & Company in Set Design” with Sarah Mead Leonard
On Friday, March 27th at 12:30pm Eastern Time, Sarah Mead Leonard will discuss her ongoing Morris & Co. on Screen project, which documents uses of Morris & Company patterns in set design for television and film. She will share how the project contributed to...
Follow Us On Social Media