What influence did william morris have?
William Morris had a huge and persistent influence on the way in which design was explicitly linked to ethics and society. While his own brand of utopian Socialism and his emphasis on handcrafts has had only marginal acceptance the whole idea of design for living can be traced back to him. So his ideas contributed to the Garden City movement. They can be seen in the idea that everyday items should not only be utilitarian but also aethetically pleasing. The importance placed in education on making things is part of his legacy. In his own time he not only helped found the Arts and Crafts Movement, but he was important in the neo-gothic revival which created many of the most important Victorian buildings, furniture and famously tiles and wall-papers. In the Midlands you can see many fine Victorian pubs with William Morris design tiles. This was always intended to be popular art. See the articles in The Victorian Web for an all-round picture. The Morris Society for his contemporary fan clu
