Arts and Crafts: William Morris and the handmade

William Morris wanted to make everyday things beautiful and honestly made – and created wallpapers and textiles that are still printed today.

The critic John Ruskin argued that industry was ruining both objects and workers. William Morris put these ideas into practice: in 1861 he founded the firm of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co, which made furniture, stained glass, textiles and wallpapers by hand.

Morris's patterns – Strawberry Thief, Willow Bough, Trellis – draw on English gardens and medieval models, with clear repeats and natural colours. He taught himself to dye with indigo and madder.

The Arts and Crafts movement spread to the United States, Germany and the Nordic countries. Japanese art and design, which reached Europe at the same time, inspired Christopher Dresser, who is regarded as one of the first industrial designers.