Illustration from ‘The Building News’, wallpaper decorations by Jeffrey & Co., 1879. Museum no. 29502D-60. © Victoria & Albert Museum, London
Morris’s papers were too expensive for most, but by the 1880s their growing appeal had been recognised by other designers and manufacturers who began to produce cheaper papers in the Morris style. The Silver Studio, in particular, was responsible for many wallpapers in the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau styles which show clear evidence of Morris’s influence and example. Even by the late 1870s machine-printed papers in the Aesthetic style were available for as little as 7d a roll.
His success in creating structured patterns from natural forms, with a sense of organic growth controlled by a subtle geometry, was his most important design legacy.
Design is fine. History is mine. 