Tag Archives: William Morris

[Alternative Muses] Birthday Mashup: William Morris/Olive Schreiner

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Night Angel Holding a Waning Moon by William Morris

Night Angel Holding a Waning Moon by William Morris (born 24 March 1834)

“So age succeeds age, and dream succeeds dream, and the joy of the dreamer no man knoweth but he who dreameth. Our fathers had their dreams; we have ours; the generation that follows will have its own. Without dreams and phantoms, man cannot exist.”-The Story of An African Farm, Olive Schreiner (born 24 march 1855)

A Year in Books/Day 178: William Morris by himself

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  • Title: William Morris by himself Designs and writings
  • Editor: Gillian Naylor
  • Year Published: This Edition/2004 (Barnes & Noble Books)
  • Year Purchased: 2004/2005
  • Source: Barnes & Noble clearance rack
  • About: This book is a great reminder that William Morris was also a writer, and not just an artist/designer. Although his aesthetic is instantly recognizable, his words are not. That’s a shame. William Morris by himself goes a long way to rectify that, but I hope that his diverse writings somehow find a wider audience. As the title well relates, you’ll find a blend of his art and words (including excerpts from letters, essays and poems) in this pretty little edition. They have also inserted brief biographical paragraphs for the sake of cohesion. If you have ever been drawn to one of his textiles or wallpapers, why not take the opportunity to learn more about the full oeuvre of the man?
  • Motivation: I’ve long been intrigued by Morris.
  • Times Read: 1
  • Random Excerpt/Page 83: “We have taken a little place deep down in the country, where my wife and children are to spend some months every year, as they did this-a beautiful and strangely naif house, Elizabethan in appearance, though much later in date, as in that out of the way corner people built in Gothic till the beginning or middle of the last century. It is on the S.W. extremity of Oxfordshire, within a stone’s throw of the baby Thames, in the most beautiful grey little hamlet called Kelmscott.”
  • Happiness Scale: 8 1/2