William Morris collection, 1876-1897

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Summary

Creators:
Morris, William, 1834-1896
Abstract:
A collection of material related to William Morris, 19th century Arts and Crafts English designer, artist, poet, writer, and socialist activist.
Extent:
1.2 Linear Feet (1 box)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. William Morris collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

A collection of business letters and documents related to William Morris, the Kelmscott Press, and fine printing. The letters deal with designs for books, acquisition of materials, and business appointments. The documents include a small rent book (January 12 to June 13, 1891), bills, receipts, lists of titles to be published, materials ordered, and legal contracts for publications. Some of the letters contain drawings by Morris or the recipient and a few letters have Morris's signature cut away, with some loss of text. Correspondents include, among others, George Allen, Joseph Batchelor, Stopford A. Brooke, Sir Sydney Carlyle Cockerell, Charles March Gere, William Harcourt Hooper, William Holman Hunt, Bernard Quaritch, Edward Fairbrother Strange, Theodore Watts-Dunton and the companies Bernard Quaritch (Firm), Macmillan & Co., and Reeves & Turner.

Biographical / historical:

William Morris was born March 24, 1834, in Walthamstow, then a suburb of London; he attended Exeter College, Oxford. In 1855 he embarked on a varied career as a poet, artist, decorator, manufacturer, printer and lecturer. He helped to begin the Arts & Crafts movement in England and also strove to better the lives of the working class through his work with Socialist causes; after a lingering illness he died in London on October 3, 1896.

Acquisition information:
mssHM 11240, purchased in the Anderson Learmont sale, lot 570, January 1918; mssHM 7066, provenance unknown, in library as of July 1950; mssHM 36649-36684, puchased from Maggs Bros., July 1957; mssHM 36628-36648, purchased from Sotheby's, lot 491, July 1972; mssHM 33698, purchased from Maggs Bros., February 1973.
Processing information:

The majority of the collection was processed by Alan Jutzi in 1974; in July 2025, Gayle M. Richardson created the finding aid. The collection includes multiple acquisitions acquired and assembled by Huntington Library staff over many years.

Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. William Morris collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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