8th June 2017
Sir John Everett Millais was born on this day in 1829. An English painter and illustrator, he’s remembered today as hugely influential due to being a founding member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
“It doesn’t matter how beautifully a thing is painted, it is no good if it isn’t right – it’s got to come out… What does it matter how you do it? Paint it with a shovel if you can’t get your effect any other way.” – Sir John Everett Millais
The Brotherhood was actually founded at his family home in London, at 83 Gower Street (which is now number 7.)
His painting, Christ in the House of His Parents 1849-50 (today found in Tate Britain in London) depicts the Holy Family in Saint Joseph’s workshop. The painting, hugely controversial, absolutely catapulted the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood from absolute obscurity into a group everyone was talking about and set off many talking about the place of realism in the arts. Charles Dickens was a huge critic of the piece, “…so hideous in her ugliness that … she would stand out from the rest of the company as a Monster, in the vilest cabaret in France, or the lowest gin-shop in England.” Dickens in this quotation refers to Mary, who he believes in the piece was portrayed as an alcoholic. The public didn’t appreciate the realistic way the carpentry workshop was shown with the dirt and shavings on the floor- during this time religious art was grand and the general portrayal was of Jesus and his family in costumes of togas in beautiful settings. In fact, the piece was so well known, Queen Victoria herself asked for it to be brought to Buckingham Palace for her to view it in private.
Becoming one of the wealthiest artists of the time, he became hugely successful after his move away from the Pre-Raphaelite style as he became much more inspired by realism in art. His latter works were hugely successful in their own right away from the movement.
His wife Effie was previously married to John Ruskin, who we discuss often in our blog and had supported Millais’ early work. Some studies of his art and style has been linked to this period of her marriage annulment and then subsequent marriage to Millais however whatever the reason, the fact is she became a huge promoter of his work and they worked together to really boost his career and she was a huge help for how successful he became, together expanding their social and intellectual circles.
We’ve been lucky enough to see some of Millais’s work first hand at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG) our favourites were the following two pieces:
Waiting, 1854
To meet the growing demand for his work, he painted several smaller scale compositions. As stated by the BMAG, “There was a convention in the mid- 1850s for paintings of young women alone in a landscape or garden setting, often sitting by a wall or stile or lingering under a tree. Even if- as in this example- there was no overt narrative, contemporary audience would have inferred that the young woman was awaiting the arrival of a lover.”
The Blind Girl, 1854-6
This is a beautiful piece, the colours intriguing and it really makes you stop to look at it. The gallery speak of this piece, “Millais began by painting the landscape for his projected painted of The Blind Girl on a visit to Winchelsea in Sussex in 1854. The figures were then added in Perth where he painted Matilda Proufoot as a replacement for Effie Ruskin as the blind girl, and Isabella Nicol as her sister. The dazzling observation of the sun drenched cornfield forms an unforgettable backdrop to the light and colour denied to the main figure. The painting was seen by a number of contemporaries as a contemporary treatment of a ‘pathetic’ or religious subject.”
His most famous piece was Ophelia, which can now been seen in the Tate Britain and was completed between 1851 and 1852. The scene depicted is taken from Shakespeare’s Hamlet- the scene in which the tragic-romantic Ophelia drowns herself in a stream after being driven mad when her father is murdered by Hamlet, her lover. For the background, Millais stuck close to the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood aims of having a close observation of nature however found it rather difficult due to the conditions of painting outside in nature and the blurred lines between a beautiful piece of art and realism. He wrote to Mrs Thomas Combe, “My martyrdom is more trying than any I have hitherto experienced. The flies of Surrey are more muscular, and have a still greater propensity for probing human flesh … I am threatened with a notice to appear before a magistrate for trespassing in a field and destroying the hay … am also in danger of being blown by the wind into the water, and becoming intimate with the feelings of Ophelia when that Lady sank to muddy death, together with the (less likely) total disappearance, through the voracity of the flies … Certainly the painting of a picture under such circumstances would be a greater punishment to a murderer than hanging.” (J.G. Millais I, pp.119-20)
The model for Ophelia was actually Elizabeth Siddal who if you’ve seen many pieces of Pre-Raphaelite art, you’ll see her frequently as she as one of the favourite models for the group and later married Rossetti. She posed over a 4 month period in a bath full of water which was kept warm by the lamps placed underneath- she caught a severe cold doing this in cold water when the lamps went out and her father threatened legal action until Millais was forced to cover the legal bills- art comes at a price!
If you’ve enjoyed this blog, make sure to look up more of Millais’ life and work- it’s really fascinating! Make sure to keep checking our blog for more Pre-Raphaelite blogs and other fun bits we get up to!
Posted in News by Laura
Is it just us or does anyone else come across an old photo and get upset that the cake is now gone? 🍰
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisfabrics #strawberrythief #fabrics #teatowel #preraphaelite #emmabridgewater
Lay the table with us for Easter dinner 🐰 These rabbit napkin folds are so simple yet effective, will you give them a go this weekend? 🐣
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #fabric #florals #floraltable #napkinfold #napkinfolding #napkinfoldingideas #brotherrabbit #easternapkin
Us 🤝 simple napkin folding 🎀
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisfabrics #fabric #fabrics #williammorrisfabricdesign #design #afternoontea #daisy #preraphaelite
A really simple napkin fold for your Easter table! 🐣 We used a napkin ring but you could use ribbon or twine, whatever you’ve got! 🐰
Just fold the napkin into a triangle and roll up from the point until you can fold it in half to make the ears 🐇 You could put a little creme egg in there as an extra treat 🤎
•
•
•
#napkinart #napkinfolding #napkinfolding #williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #eastertable #eastertablescape #fabrics #easter2025🐰🐥☀️🍹
Hopping into Easter week with a fab 10% off our website, just use code: EASTER on our website 🐣
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisprint #morris #willowbough #floraldesign #florals #easternapkin #eastertable #eastertablescape
Have you seen our new remnants and bundle section on our website? 🪡 Perfect for quilting, sewing and crafting, they’re all in varying sizes and we’ll keep it constantly updated 🧵
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #crafting #fabriccrafts #quilter #quiltersgonnaquilt #quiltlife #sewsewsew #sewersgonnasew #fabricremnants
Layering florals on florals this Spring 🪻🌷
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #morris #fabric #fabricaddict #pimpernel #floraldesigns #spring #springtable
The start of the Easter tablescapes this weekend 🐣 We cant resist a little rabbit napkin, so easy and so effective we can post a reel on how to do the napkin fold! 🐰 This is our pvc fabric in William Morris Brother Rabbit red which is perfect for on the table as it simply wipes clean so isn’t an issue for any spills 🧼
We know that seasonal tablescapes whilst looking amazing can often seem really expensive on Instagram so we wanted to prove that with a simple napkin fold and a few little inexpensive decor bits it can be wonderfully seasonal yet affordable and used every year - the carrots are from @poundland and the cute little sheep are from @sainsburys 🐑
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #fabric #florals #floraldesign #pvcfabric #pvctablecloth #eastertable #eastertablescape #eastertablesetting #easter2015
A gorgeous spring day today spent in the garden, anyone else unable to spend a day without a pot of mini eggs nearby? 🐣 Our pvc fabric is perfect for garden tables, a simple wipe clean and it’s ready for outdoor meals - just make sure to not leave it outside in the rain! ☔️☀️ On the table today is our William Morris Compton pvc, a year- round fave of ours 🤎
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #compton #springgarden #springgardening #springtime #springsunshine☀️ #labrador #englishlab #lablife #magnolia #magnoliatree #magnoliatreesinbloom🌸🌸🌸
Spring has truly sprung this week and we’re looking forward to Easter 🐣 Our William Morris Daisy was looking gorgeous on the table with a little Easter treat 🐰
•
•
•
#napkinart #easteregg #easterdecor #williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #floralfabric #printedintheuk #preraphaelite #artandcraftsmovement
One of the crafters among us couldn’t help but steal some of our new designs from work to create a gorgeous quilted bag from all our original designs to take to Chicago with them on holiday 🤍 For all of us back home in Yorkshire we’re a little jealous seeing all the holiday snaps of the bag round the city! ✨ All these designs are now available on our website 🥰
•
•
•
#quilted #quiltedbag #quiltedbags #quiltersgonnaquilt #quiltlife #sewersofinstagram #sewallthethings #whatimade #whatimadetoday #chicago #blossomtree #smallbusiness #ukbusiness #patchwork #patchworkbag
It’s back in stock!! 🍓 Our cotton Strawberry Thief blue licensed William Morris design is now back in stock - and digitally printed 🌿 We hope you can tell how crisp the design is from this video, the details within the design are so clear in the digital print which is fabulous becuase there’s so many beautiful details within all Morris designs 🎨
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #fabric #florals #floraldesign #fabrics #strawberythief #quiltingfabric #quiltingdesigns #backinstock
The colours of Compton 😍 did you know some of our designs are now digitally printed? 🤎 digital print gives top quality printing design with a really crisp finish that brings to life the whole design and its details, of course, we’re still printing in the UK 🇬🇧
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #smallbusiness #floralfabric #quiltingfabric #florals #curtainfabric #upholsteryfabric #ukcrafters
Pack an order with us of our new quilting fabrics 🌿 These are all our exclusive designs that are now available on our website, and each beautiful design has been faithfully resorted from our French archive, we wonder what they’ll be made into 🤍
•
•
•
#quilting #quiltingfabric #fatquarterbundle #fatquarters #sewistofinstagram #sewingmakesmehappy #patchwork #patchworkquilt #smallbusiness #packanorderwithme #packanorderwithme
A tea towel hanging in the kitchen, bringing floral magic easily into the home 🌿 Can you believe William Morris designed Willow Bough in 1887? It’s such a timeless design we love imagining how many people throughout the years have chosen to have it decorating their homes 🤍
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #morrisdesignsuk #timelessdesign #fabric #fabricstash #teatowel #teatoweldesign
Use code: birthday for 20% off our entire website 🌿 Includes our fabulous fabric by the half metre, tablewear & kitchenware 🤍
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisstrawberrythief #morrisfabric #smallbusiness #quiltingfabric #sewingfabric #curtainfabric #fabric #fabricstash #fabriclove #floralfabric
We’re excited to announce our new range of fabrics, perfect for quilting 🪡 they are all from our exclusive French archive which dates from the late 1800s-early 1900s ⚜️ With a new range we were chatting about what to name each design, so as a female founded and run business, we decided to name them after some important women in our lives 🤍 We’re digitally printing this fabric so it’s amazing quality, but there’s limited stock of each design so let us know which designs you love ☺️
-
-
-
#smallbusiness #digitalprint #smallbizowner #quiltingfabric #quilting #frenchfloralfabric #quiltingfabrics #femalebusiness #sewersgonnasew #sewingaddict #sewingfabric #ukquiltersunited
Waiting patiently for peony season… 🫶🏻
On the table; our William Morris Willow Bough 🌿
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #willowbough #fabric #tablescape #burleighpottery #britishmade #peonyseason
Why wouldn’t we celebrate William Morris’ birthday with one of our biggest sales of the year! Hurry, it’s tonight and tomorrow only, take 20% off everything on our website with code; BIRTHDAY 🌿
Born on this day in 1834, William Morris was an incredible talent. His designs are as timeless and popular today as ever, so long after they were designed 🎨 He also was a poet, writer and socialist activist who was involved in the arts and crafts movement and worked hard to keep traditional British textiles, he opened his own mill, Merton Abbey Mills 🌿 there’s so many interesting aspects of his life that he seemed to live many lives at once, when you’re that talented it must be hard to pick just one passion! 🌿 Happy Birthday William, thank you for all the stunning designs we print here in the UK just as he was passionate about all those years ago! 🇬🇧
•
•
•
#onthis #onthisday #williammorris #morris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #artsandcraftsmovement #preraphaelites #fatquarters
Happy first day of Spring 🌷what’s your favourite thing about spring? 🌱 Ours is of course all the stunning flowers blooming all around us 🪴 To get 15% off our website to bring some florals indoors, use code; SPRING at checkout on our website 🤍
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #morrisdesign #williammorriscollection #spring #springflorals #springflowers #flowerarrangement #flowerarranging