1. Start of Career
William Morris was born on 24th March 1834. William was an English fabric stylish, an artist, a writer and a socialist related with the Pre-Raphaelite Association and the English Arts and Crafts Programme. Morris had trained to be an architect, however, his passion was to be a painter. While studying in Oxford he got the opportunity to meet an artist Edward Burne-Jones who introduced him to the Pre-Raphaelite painters such as the famously known Rossetti.

2. Inspiration from Red House
In the year 1859, William Morris married Jane Burden and immediately they had their house constructed for them on Bexley Heath. The house was named Red House and was designed by Philip Webb. William Morris and his wife did the decorations and the interiors of the house by themselves. After the house was completed, William Morris and his wife were happy with what they had accomplished and therefore they decided to start their own company.

3. The Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Company
Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. was finally established in April 1861 in London at Red Lion Square. The company manufactured a variety of local original furnishings such as cutlery, stained glass, tiles and furniture. During the decoration of his house, William Morris was unable to find wallpapers so his company started the manufacture of wallpapers.

4. A re-known Publisher
William Morris was a re-known publisher of fiction, poetry and translator of prehistoric and old-fashioned texts throughout his life. Some of his famous publications include ‘The Earthly Paradise’ produced between 1868 and 1870, the utopian ‘News from Nowhere’ produced in 1890, ‘A Dream of John Ball’ produced in 1888 and ‘The Defense of Guenevere’ plus ‘Other Poems’ produced in 1858.

5. A Socialist
During the development of socialism in Britain, William Morris was instrumental in founding the Socialist League in 1884. Though he later broke ranks with the members of the organization because of the methods and the goals that were employed, he is remembered for having devoted his life for the course.

6. An Environmental Campaigner
William Morris cultivated an interest in using natural resources in his work and he encouraged individuals to produce stuffs for themselves. William Morris supported that quality fittings and interiors should be made available not only to the rich but to all the members of the society. Though William did his best to promote the use of natural resources, hand made goods were more expensive to manufacture and buy than machine manufactured goods.

7. A resourceful Artist
William Morris started a new firm called Morris & Co in 1875 after the disbandment of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. This meant that Morris was now in full control of the artistic designs of the company. This era was regarded as William Morris’s most productive and resourceful years as an artist.

8. William Morris work was a Source of Inspiration
William Morris’s work became a source of inspiration to many. When new schools or unions were established, they put old art and craft expertise, sketching, plaiting and needlework as part of their curriculum. Many a times, individuals would find time after work to go and learn a few new skills with Morris.

9. William Morris advocated for Human Rights
William Morris was for the reasoning that, the industrial uprising abused the employees and thus he started to advocate for handcraft as a means for workers to take charge of their destinies through creativity. Additionally, he fought for the provision of free education and improved working conditions.

10. William Morris’ Death
William Morris passed on in the year 1896. Due to his unique artistic designs and creativity, his company remained in business up until the year 1940. To date, big linen stores still feature the William Morris prints in their production.