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19th October 2020
Born in 1839, today marks Jane Morris 181st birthday. Her talent shouldn’t be overlooked, nor should William’s love for her. We thought in todays blog, we’d give you a few ‘did you know’s’ on Jane.
It was actually a stroke of luck for Jane that she was discovered by the group of artists. She grew up poor, born in Oxford to Robert and Ann Burden – a stableman and a laundress. Her mother was illiterate and probably arrived in Oxford as a domestic servant. Jane would probably have followed the same destiny if not for a chance meeting of Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones at a theatre in Oxford. They spotted her and wanted her to sit for their art – renowned for her beauty, she was the epitome of beauty standards at the time. She went on to sit for some of the most famous English art works of all time – including Rossetti’s Queen Guinevere. By the following spring, she was engaged to William Morris. Becoming Jane Morris altered the course of her life forever.
Jane married William out of the fact it would forever draw her out of poverty and secure her future as the wife of a gentleman. They had two children together; Jenny and May. But the love of her life was arguably Rossetti. He was already engaged to be married to Lizzie Siddal when they met. It’s known that before he died, he told a friend he married Lizzie, “out of a mistaken sense of loyalty and fear of giving pain,” instead of true love. Jane and Rossetti had a well known love affair for years throughout Jane and William’s marriage. This was of course very hurtful for Morris since he is known to have really loved Jane and Rossetti was his friend and college.
We mentioned she grew up poor, but her marriage changed that. She was educated to become a gentleman’s wife. So much so that her peers referred to her as “queenly.” She practically reinvented herself through her educated, with tutors but not taking away the fact she had a natural intelligence. She was well read, proficient in French and Italian, an accomplished pianist and had refined speech and manners, hence “queenly.”
Jane was an extremely talented embroiderer, teaching both her daughters the skill. Google “Jane Morris” and you’ll see it’s actually her first tag, she’s remembered best for her embroidery and the Pre-Raphaelite ideal beauty. It’s known that though Jane, daughters Jenny and May and Jane’s sister, Bessie, all supervised and embroidered for Morris & Co. Credit for some designs went to Morris himself “in the interests of commercial success.”
Her marriage appears to have come to an end in 1871 when Morris escaped to explore Iceland. It was at this time Rossetti had moved into their home, Kelmscott to keep the affair private after Rossetti’s wife Lizzie had passed away. During the Victorian times, it’s not uncommon for a girl from a poor background to marry a man for class and money. Her relationship with Rossetti lasted until his death in 1882. Though this also wasn’t without issue – he had a dependancy on chloral hydrate (a drug taken for insomnia.) She did distance herself from him due to this. His art lives on as almost a homage to their love, his art is of the iconic Pre-Raphaelite beauty of womanhood. That’s got to be incredibly flattering!
Her last love was an affair with Wilfred Scawen Blunt. He was a poet and political activist. This carried on until 1894, until her husband fell ill and she cared for him until his death. She remained single after, dying 16 years after her husband, aged 75.
Months before her death, Jane bought Kelmscott Manor for her daughters. She never returned there after the purchase however and died on the 26th January 1914. She’s buried in the churchyard of St. George’s Church in Kelmscott.
Due to her portrayal in Rossetti’s art in particular, throughout history she’s thought of as a sullen and sombre woman. We know through accounts for her to have more of a rounded personality than this. Though she is often remembered through her romantic life, she had talents in her own rights outside of her marriage and family life. She had an active role in the family business, Morris & Co., was intelligent, multilingual, a talented musician and embroider. She was also a home maker for Morris and their two daughters.
Along with her intelligence and hobbies, she’s also captured the attention of art fans for generations as she remains to be the face of Pre-Raphaelite womanhood.
Posted in News by Laura
Halloween but make it chic ✨ We love that our William Morris tablecloths can be dressed for every season, one purchase styled various ways year round 🌱☀️🍂❄️
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#strawberrythief #williammorris #williammorrisdesign #halloween #autumntablescape
Happy Halloween! 🎃 Use code; TREAT on our website for the last day of 15% off 👻 Don’t these colours just work together beautifully, our licensed William Morris Mallow Forest Green was a new colour way we brought out last Christmas, and we’ve used all year round it’s the perfect green ✨
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#williammorris #wmorris #williammorrisdesign #floraldesigns #autumntable
Team matching or team mix and match? 👻👇
Our napkins come in packs of 4, but if you’re a maximalist at heart, have a look at our sale section. We have packs of 1 and 2, so you can build your own beautifully mismatched set 🌸🎃
Shop via the link in bio.
#williammorris #maximalisthome #tablescape #halloweentable #laurasbeau
Cotton or heavyweight cotton? Here’s how to choose 🧵✨
All of our fabrics are licensed William Morris designs, digitally printed here in the UK. We offer two weights, so you can pick the right one for your project:
🌿 Cotton
Lighter, softer and easy to sew. It drapes beautifully and is perfect for:
- Dressmaking, like skirts, blouses and shirts
- Quilting and patchwork
- Pillowcases and bedding
- Bunting, lavender bags and small crafts
- Lightweight curtains
🌿 Heavyweight cotton
Thicker and sturdier, It holds its shape and stands up to light upholstery use, so it’s ideal for:
- Cushion covers
- Curtains and roman blinds
- Light upholstery, like chair seats and headboards
- Tote bags and aprons
- Tablecloths and placemats
Not sure which you need? Send us a message and we’ll happily help 💛
Shop by the half metre via the link in bio.
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#williammorrisfabric #cottonfabric #upholsteryfabric #quiltingfabric #laurasbeau
Re-introducing Charlotte Rose 🌹
Our very own design, taken from our French archive of late 1800s to early 1900s prints. We fell in love with these delicate sprigs of tumbling roses and just had to bring them back to life 💕
You can buy her ready-made as a tablecloth and napkins, or by the half metre if you’d like to make something of your own 🧵
Pretty, romantic, and made for long lunches and special occasions 🥂 Link in bio to shop. #charlotterose #frenchvintage #floraltablecloth #tablescape #laurasbeau
Your Strawberry Thief, cut to order ✂️🍓
Every order is measured and cut to order. We sell it by the half metre, so it’s ideal for small projects or big makes. It’s a licensed William Morris design, digitally printed in the UK ✨
Order yours via the link in bio 💛
#strawberrythief #williammorris #fabricbythemetre #sewingfabric #laurasbeau
Who else loves making their own cards and gifts? ✂️🧵
This sweet anniversary bunny was made with little scraps of our William Morris fabric. It’s proof that even the smallest offcuts can become something really special 💛
With Halloween around the corner and Christmas not far behind, now’s the perfect time to get crafting 🎃🎄 Think appliqué cards, fabric gift tags, lavender bags, bunting, Christmas tree decorations and pretty wrapping for presents 🎁
A handmade gift will always mean so much with the thought and time gone into it, but be sure to start well in advance so you’re not frantically sewing on Christmas Eve! ✨
What are you making this season? Let us below 👇 #handmadecards #fabriccrafts #williammorris #handmadechristmas #laurasbeau
Ever wondered why our fabrics look so good up close? 🔍✨
Every one of our William Morris designs is digitally printed and manufactured right here in the UK, and here’s why we love it:
🎨 Incredible detail. Every tiny petal, berry and feather comes out crisp and true to the original design. The colours are consistent and gorgeous.
🌈 Rich, accurate colours that stay just as vibrant as the artwork intended when Morris designed them
🌿 Kinder to the planet. Digital printing typically uses far less water than traditional methods, and we print in smaller batches, so there’s less waste.
🇬🇧 Supporting British makers. A shorter supply chain means we keep skills, jobs and quality close to home.
It’s a modern way to bring timeless designs into your home 💛
Shop via the link in bio. #digitalprinting #madeinbritain #williammorris #sustainablefabric #laurasbeau
Autumn is in full swing at ours 🍂
We’ve brought the season indoors with blackberries, rosehips and the last of the hydrangeas, set against our Strawberry Thief fabric. This licensed William Morris design is digitally printed and manufactured in the UK 🇬🇧
Those cheeky little thrushes look right at home among the berries! 🐦🍓
Shop via the link in bio 💛 Three sizes of tablecloth available - 147cm round, 132 x 178cm and 132 x 229cm ☺️. #strawberrythief #williammorris #autumntablescape #madeinuk #laurasbeau
What are you all dressing up as for Halloween? This was last years costume for Bertie, what can he be this year? 🎃🖤
He’s lounging on our Compton fabric, a licensed William Morris design printed in the UK. A pumpkin with good taste!
Tell us your costume plans below 👇#halloweendog #blacklab #williammorris #comptonfabric #laurasbeau
What would you make with this fabric? 🧵
Our Golden Lily heavyweight fabric is a licensed William Morris print, printed in the UK, and it’s a dream to sew with. Cushion covers, roman blinds, tote bags, a reupholstered chair… tell me in the comments what you`d make👇
Available now, we sell it by the half metre for £13.25
#sewingproject #upholsteryfabric #williammorris #printedinuk #laurasbeau
Setting up for an evening of crafting ✂️ These 20cm x 20cm squares we sell as bundles of 5 fabric pieces, they’re perfect for smaller crafts, what would you make from them? 🪡🧵
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#crafting #girlscraftnight #craftnight #fabricstash #williammorris
Cosy Sunday season is here 🕯️ anyone else constantly got a candle burning and a grazing board on the table at the moment? 🎃
On the table, we’ve got our beautiful Mallow Wine licensed William Morris design, a staple year round but especially this time of year 🤍
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#williammorris #williammorrisdesign #onthetable #tablescape #florals
October is for treating ourselves all month right? 👻 On the table is our gorgeous William Morris licensed Mallow Wine design, this time of year it’s rarely off the table! 🤍
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#williammorris #autumntable #autumntablescape #countrykitchen #wmorris
A fabulous way to display your best new tea towel; a tea towel bow 🎀 I’ve been doing these a lot lately, but I’m so excited for how festive they’ll look for the coming season! ✨
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#williammorris #wmorris #strawberrythief #smallbusiness #countrykitchen
We’re making some new fat quarter bundle sets for the website, let us know any combinations you’d like to see! ✨ We know lots of quilters like colour combos to match, do you prefer like colours or clashing? 🫶🏻
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#williammorris #wmorris #fatquarters #fatquarterbundles #quilterofinstagram
Autumn gardens are upon us! 🍂 anyone else just constantly brushing up leaves? 🙆🏽♀️ These Compton William Morris tea towels are our favourites this time of year, the digital print on them is so crisp 👌🏼
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#williammorris #compton #cottagekitchen #farmhousekitchen #autumngarden
New product! 🩷 Our Charlotte Rose French floral design is so beautiful, it’s from our French floral archive and we’ve just decided to do tea towels in it in time for the season of gifting 🎁 £10.99 each, available now on our website ✨
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#frenchflorals #frenchstyle #countrykitchen #countrystyle #countrystylehome
Bringing back the pumpkin napkin fold 🎃 Anyone want a tutorial on how to do it? ⭐️
This is our licensed William Morris Compton design, isn’t it gorgeous 🍂
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#williammorris #williammorrisdesign #compton #autumntable #napkinfolding
All printed in the UK, these are the licensed William Morris designs we cut today- can you name them all? ✨
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #fabrics #wmorris #smallbusiness
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