revival; although it may be said in passing, that it is
almost entirely Gothic, with a strong French influence
apparent." Finally, it is known that the household
decorative arts for which England became so famous in
the latter part of the nineteenth century, grew out of the
desire of Morris to provide a suitable home for his lovely
bride, and his avowed effort to make that home the most
beautiful dwelling-place in the kingdom.
                         Through the exercise of his
ingenuity in mural and ceiling ornamentation, in embroid-
ery design, and in other artistic mediums, he acquired
practical experience as a decorator. And from these
beginnings grew the work which engaged him from that
time forward until his death. The activity consequent
upon the planning and furnishing of the "Red House"
followed upon a mood of idleness, not infrequent in Morris's
youth; but with the coming of the new interests, the
tendencies of earlier years disappeared. The eagerness of
the maker, the joy o craftsmanship seized him, never to
relax their hold. And the dreams of a monastic Brother-
hood which had been the constant accompaniment of his
Oxford days, evolved into the definite idea of a company
of artists pledged to produce beautiful things.
                         Such Was the origin of the firm
of Morris & Company, which, beside the chief who
devoted to its success his extraordinary talents, his time
and his fortune, included among its members other men of
genius and great attainment: Madox Brown, whose high
place in English painting stands to-day acknowledged;
Dante Gabriee Rossetti, who united I n melf the incon-
gruous qualities of the idealist, the artist and the astute
financier; Burne-Jones, who did most to perpetuate and
ennoble the English Pre-Raphaelite tradition; Philip
Webb, the builder, as we know, of the "Red House,"
the master of proportion and ornament, whether as applied
to the larger masses of architecture, or yet to small objects
of interior decoration; and finally Faulkner, less gifted


8


WILLIAM MORR.IS