Speaking in Morris code

His patterns are still everywhere: on phone cases, mugs, boots and blouses. Nearly 130 years after his death, a London gallery is exploring William Morris’s legacy, and the contradictions of his life as an avid socialist who ran an elite business but believed beauty was for all

- Bhanuj Kappal

Anyone can use his designs. It has after all been nearly 130 years since William Morris died (aged 62, on October 3, 1896).

To celebrate his ubiquity, and mark its 75th anniversary, London's William Morris Gallery is hosting an exhibition that seeks to capture the 19th-century designer's legacy through a curated display of 200 items that represent the range of his influence.

"The show is really us exploring where one can find Morris in the world. We even found one of his patterns on a seat cover used in a British nuclear submarine," says Hadrian Garrard, director of the gallery and curator of the show.

"The fun is in tracing these appearances but also in asking: What would Morris have made of it all?" That is a complicated question that hints at the contradictions of his life and legacy.

The artist was an avowed socialist, for instance, but designed wallpaper for Queen Victoria and the Russian tsar Nicholas II. He was a radical activist, but his work has become synonymous with traditionalism.

He championed craftsmanship, but his designs are embedded in mass-produced merchandise in a hyper-capitalist era.

Would he have been thrilled or appalled? Likely a bit of both.

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