William Morris

William Morris (1834-1896) was an English poet, art-worker, and Socialist, born in Walthamstow, near London, son and heir of a wealthy merchant. He studied at Oxford, where he became the lifelong bosom friend of Burne-Jones. Having been of an artistic temperament, he devoted his working hours to decorative art, in particular designing wall-papers. In 1858, he produced "The Defence of Guenevere and other Poems," in 1867 "The Life and Death of Jason," and from 1868 to 1870 his masterpiece, "The Earthly Paradise". Among other works he translated the "Aeneid" and the "Odyssey," and gave a splendid rendering of some of the Norse legends.

Nearby pages
William Motherwell, William Mulready, William Murdoch, William Murray, William Murray the Scottish actor