Although best known for his elaborate fabric and textile designs, William Morris was also a poet, novelist, illustrator, architect, translator, and social activist. Born in 1834, Morris lived during the market revolution, in which new technologies made mass production possible. Morris challenged the ideals of the time and founded the Arts and Crafts movement, which valued nature and craftsmanship over mass production. He spent much of his life fighting against the decline of true art by defending the principle of artisanal production. He is known to have said: “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” » Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why violent video games should not be banned'? Get the original essay Born into a wealthy, middle-class family, William Morris went to Marlborough College in 1848, where he studied trees, flowers and birds and is interested in architecture and the Middle Ages. After Marlborough, he attended Exeter College, Oxford, where he met a group of like-minded poets and artists and they quickly became good friends. After graduating and working briefly as an architect, he changed his interest to art and instead worked to become an artist. He enjoyed some success, and in 1861 he established the firm of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner, & Co., manufacturers and decorators. The company's goal was to bring art to ordinary people and elevate interior decoration and design to the level of fine art. Soon after, Morris began his career as a translator when he became interested in Norse mythology and began reading and translating Icelandic sagas. Looking back on his career as an architect, Morris founded the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings in 1877. In 1844 he entered politics and founded the Socialist League in Great Britain. Just five years before his death, Morris established Kelmscott Press, his publishing house. Aiming to publish beautifully illustrated and composed books, Chaucer's Kelmscott edition is considered by many to be the finest book ever printed. After a hugely successful life, he died in 1896. One of Morris's main goals in his life was to dismantle the popularity of mass production, as he believed it led to boring, soulless objects. He sought to “revive the sense of beauty in family life, to restore the dignity of art to ordinary domestic decoration.” Morris was also very inspired by nature. Before entering Marlborough College, he had already acquired an almost encyclopedic knowledge of British plants. He used this vast knowledge in his art, producing mainly natural and organic forms. Another interest Morris discovered at college was medieval art and culture. Involved in the "Gothic Revival", he attempted to bring back medieval art forms such as manuscript illumination and tapestry weaving. Morris was also influenced and involved with a group of influential artists with whom he worked. He was associated with a group called The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, which included Millais and Rossetti. This group viewed classical painting as a formula. Instead, they produced art characterized by abundant detail, intense colors, and complex composition. One of Morris' most famous designs is his hand-printed wallpaper called Seaweed. Its intricate design and intricate details are representative of his style as a whole. The design features a clear repeating pattern, based on rather organic shapes.