Why the World Became So Obsessed With William Morris’ Colorful Floral Prints The British artist’s designs appear on mugs, plates, shoes and more. A new exhibition explores how his signature style became so ubiquitous—and how Morris would feel about his 21st-century legacy Lillian Ali - Staff Contributor April 10, 2025 4:05 p.m. Compton printed cotton, designed by Morris in 1896 © William Morris Gallery, London Borough of Waltham Forest You’ve seen the patterns: branches of colorful flowers and fruits unfolding across solid backgrounds. Nearly 130 years after his death, the British artist William Morris’ designs are everywhere, from wallpapers and dinnerware to phone cases and hand cream. The ubiquity of Morris’ intricate style is the subject of “Morris Mania,” a new exhibition at the William Morris Gallery in London. The show, which will be on view through September 21, explores Morris’ designs, beliefs and legacy. Hadrian Garrard, the director of the gallery, tells the London Times’ Nancy Durrant that “seeing Morris products everywhere” inspired him to develop the exhibition. “I thought it was time that we addressed how we got here,” he adds. “How did William Morris, Britain’s greatest designer, go viral?” The museum put out an open call, encouraging members of the public to send in any Morris-decorated objects in their possession. The gallery ended up with toys, mugs, chopsticks, shoes, face masks and more—all covered in Morris’ signature flowers and fruit. Dr. Martens with a Morris design © William Morris Gallery, London Borough of Waltham Forest Sam Jacob, who designed the exhibition, compares Morris’ patterns to the science fiction film Alien. “The patterns can land on anything and completely inhabit their host, whether that’s a mug or a submarine,” he tells the Guardian’s Oliver Wainwright. Morris was a key figure in the Arts and Crafts movement, an artistic style that proliferated in Britain in the late 19th century. The movement’s artists believed that industrialization had undermined the role of craftspeople, decreased the quality of manufactured goods and worsened working conditions. Morris, who was also a socialist, wrote in 1894 that “the leading passion in my life has been and is hatred of modern civilization.” But since then, Morris’ designs have been embraced by luxury and discount retailers alike. His work has even landed on the online Chinese retailer Temu, which sells A.I.-generated Morris merchandise. The exhibition examines the conflict between the artist’s beliefs and his legacy. “We see what capitalism has done to his work,” Garrard tells the Financial Times’ An eye mask decorated with a Morris pattern © William Morris Gallery, London Borough of Waltham Forest Morris pushed against the pursuit of profit at the expense of workers’ well-being. However, he embraced technology to the extent that it could be “freeing,” as the English artist Jeremy Deller tells the London Times. “[Morris] would be fascinated to see how machine-made things are because there’s not much manual labor involved in a lot of the objects that we’re going to see in this show; iPhone case covers are not hand-printed,” he adds. “But of course he would recognize some aspects of production as being similar to the Industrial Revolution in terms of how people were treated and workers’ wages and so on. It would inspire him and anger him at the same time.” However, the popularity of Morris’ style aligns with his belief that beauty ought to be accessible to everyone. For instance, he produced linoleum for customers who couldn’t afford his carpets, Deller tells the London Times. As Morris famously said, “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” “Morris Mania” will be on view at the William Morris Gallery in London through September 21, 2025. Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.