From the CBC Archives

Quite a find from the CBC Archives, originally broadcast on July 15, 1993.


"Before the age of machines in the 18th and 19th centuries, everything was handmade. But mass production changed all that - something English poet William Morris found dehumanizing. Morris was founder of the Arts and Crafts Movement in the Victorian age. He was best known for the natural themes of his wallpaper, tapestries and vases, which he believed should be handmade by skilled craftspeople. As this CBC documentary explains, Morris brought a socialist philosophy to design."

Love Is Enough – A William Morris Inspired Wedding Editorial

How many of you are familiar with the timeless and romantic textile designs of William Morris?

Those of you with a penchant for the odd Liberty print probably will be – and if you’re lucky enough, you snapped up one of those limited edition William Morris print H&M dresses last year. This bridal editorial was inspired entirely by the work of William Morris. The designer, My Eden Bridal, had in fact been waiting for the right moment to do such a shoot for a decade, and then, it all happened in an instant.

“Our shoot location was Kelmscott Manor, William Morris’s storied family home in the Cotswolds, which he owned together with the Pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rosetti.”

“Kelmscott Manor had never before allowed a fashion photoshoot inside the house and we had the absolute honour and privilege to locate our styled wedding reception shoot there. It takes my breath away thinking about the original Rosetti paintings that we were allowed to use as backdrop, and seeing our model’s reflection in the original main staircase mirror, just as Morris and his guests would have done.”

“Flowers were seasonal and British and the arrangements included locally sourced wild strawberries as a nod to the famous ‘Strawberry Thief’ print by William Morris.”

"…And this day draw a veil over all deeds pass’d over,
Yet their hands shall not tremble, their feet shall not falter;
The void shall not weary, the fear shall not alter
These lips and these eyes of the loved and the lover.” - WM

Click here for the full editorial. 

Online Radio Program on William Morris

Although from 2018, still a great episode on Morris!
Click the image above to listen.

Happy June

Inspired by the Emery Walker Trust, we have also made a rainbow in celebration of Pride month, and in solidarity with Black Lives Matter.

Can you name each Morris pattern?

"...what I mean by Socialism is a condition of society in which there should be neither rich nor poor, neither master nor master's man, neither idle nor overworked, neither brain­slack brain workers, nor heart­sick hand workers, in a word, in which all men would be living in equality of condition, and would manage their affairs unwastefully, and with the full consciousness that harm to one would mean harm to all—the realisation at last of the meaning of the word commonwealth."

-Why I Am A Socialist (1884)

The William Morris Society Museum Virtual Tour

A virtual tour for those of us who want to wander the museum.

ONLINE Zoom Lecture April 1, 2020, 7am

Tune in 7:15 am Toronto time (12:15 UK time) WEDNESDAY APRIL 1, for a lecture by William Morris Gallery senior curator Rowan Bain as she discusses her new book William Morris’s Flowers, published by Thames & Hudson in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum.

William Morris’s sensitivity to the natural world combined with his innate talent as a designer enabled him to create patterns with endless combinations of flower forms. His ability to adapt, distort and combine them into harmonious patterns means a field guide to all his flowers remains frustratingly elusive. Yet through a deeper understanding of his early influences, his gardens, understanding of colour, favourite flowers and approach to their uses in his pattern, the visual language of William Morris’s flowers can be better revealed.

Joining instructions:

PURCHASE A TICKET BY DONATION: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/william-morriss-flowers-a-talk-by-rowan-bain-tickets-101621578878

This is a live talk on Zoom, a video conferencing platform. 

You can join the talk on a mobile device (smartphone or tablet) or a computer.

When you purchase a ticket by donation, you will be given a link, which will also be sent to your email address.

Follow this link shortly before the talk. Please allow a few minutes to set up Zoom on your device, if you haven't already.

If you're joining on a computer

When entering a Zoom meeting for the first time from a computer you will need to download a small application file. If you can't download the application, or don't want to, you can also join from your web browser.

If you're joining on a mobile device

If you are joining from a mobile device then you will be prompted to download the Zoom Cloud Meetings app from the App or Play Store.

POSTPONED: Morris' 186th Birthday Lecture and Party

POSTPONED UNTIL THE FALL

Join the WMSC THIS FALL for a lecture and birthday celebration (with cake!)

1 Devonshire Place, Toronto, ON

Munk School of Global Affairs, Campbell Conference Facility
(St George Subway Station)

Author Mark Osbaldeston (Unbuilt Toronto, Unbuilt Toronto 2) explores two centuries of never-realized building and planning proposals for Queen’s Park and the neighbouring University of Toronto campus. Using dozens of images drawn from provincial, municipal, and university archives, Osbaldeston discusses the fascinating origins and fates of Toronto landmarks that might have been.

Mark Osbaldeston is the author of three books on architectural and planning history. His first book, Unbuilt Toronto (2008), was a finalist for the Toronto Book Awards and was shortlisted for the inaugural Speaker’s Book Award. Both Unbuilt Toronto and its sequel, Unbuilt Toronto 2 (2012), received an Award of Merit from Heritage Toronto. His most recent book, Unbuilt Hamilton, was published in 2016. It was shortlisted for the Kerry Schooley Award.

Mark has curated exhibitions based on his research for the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Hamilton, the Toronto Archives, and the Hamilton Museum of Steam and Technology.

What will be the cake pattern this year? Stay tuned!