Haworth-Booth, Mark
Aperture (U.S.A.). no. 146. (Winter 1997) p. 74-7. 6 illus.
Document Type: Article
Explores the relationship between William Morris and photography, with reference to the work of the photographers Frederick Hollyer, Frederick H. Evans, and Emery Walker, who photographed Morris's work and social circle. The author states that Morris's interest in photography began when he visited France in 1855 and bought photographs of the churches there, cites his comments on the advantages and disadvantages of using photographs as an aide memoire, and explains how he used photography in creating stained glass and tapestry. He profiles Hollyer, Walker, and Evans, refers to their portraits of Morris, and examines the extent to which Morris inspired these photographers to pursue their craft.

Descriptors: Morris, William; Photography, British Isles; Hollyer, Frederick; Walker, Emery; Evans, Frederick Henry; Stained Glass, British Isles; Tapestry, British Isles; Photography, portrait; Portraits, Morris, William; artists' portraits

Nakayama, Shuichi
Journal of Design History (U.K.). vol. 9. pt. 4. (1996) p. 273-83. bibliog.
Document Type: Article
Surveys studies of William Morris produced in Japan from 1904 to the present, relating changes in the way Morris has been regarded in Japan to social and cultural developments in the country during three distinct periods. The first period, 1904-40, marks a significant amount of interest in Morris in Japan, centred on Morris's appreciation for handicrafts and his role as an educator and stimulated in part by the contemporary Japanese Folk Craft Movement (Mingei Undo) headed by Muneyoshi Yanagi. The second period, 1941-72, sees a decline in academic interest in Morris in Japan, with interest focused on Morris's utopian views of the relationship between art and labour. The author also describes a translation of Nikolaus Pevsner's Pioneers of Modern Design as provoking interest in Japan on Morris's role as a pioneer of modernism. The final period, 1973 to the present, has been characterized by attempts to reassess Morris's aims and achievements, taking into account the full scope of his activities and relating them to the complexitities of contemporary social structures. The author observes that since the 1980s a general interest in the art and literature of 19th century Britain has also developed in Japan, draws comparisons between attitudes towards Morris in Britain and Japan at different times in the 20th century, and presents a select bibliography of works on Morris published in Japan.

Descriptors: Morris, William; Crafts; Yanagi, Muneyoshi; Folk Art, Japan; mingei; Industry and Art; Pevsner, Sir Nikolaus; artists' writings

Morris, William; edited by Poulson, Christine
Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press. (1996) 202p. bibliog. ISBN 1-85075-611-2.
Document Type: Book
Publishes extracts from the writings and letters of the British writer and designer William Morris, which include some hitherto unpublished material and many texts not produced primarily for publication. In her introduction, Poulson describes how Morris's letters and lectures reflect his tone and speech patterns, as well as the variety and immediacy of his informal writing style. She analyses his early lectures, which were aimed at a largely male audience who were professionally concerned with the arts, often at an artisan level, and describes the influence of John Ruskin (1819-1900) on Morris's thinking about the arts. She also examines his distrust of mechanization, his belief in art as an expression of accumulated human experience and his respect as a designer for the medium. The author considers the extent to which Morris followed his ideas in his own work, with particular reference to his socialist allegiances. The texts are arranged in sections, each with a short introduction. The sections deal with the firm of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner and Co., stained glass, textiles, furnishing and decorating a house, printing, and art and society.

Descriptors: Morris, William; artists' correspondence; artists' writings; Design, British Isles; Stained Glass, British Isles; Textiles, British Isles; Interior Decoration, British Isles; Printing; Society and Art