Lunchtime Lecture: William Morris: Pattern Revolutionary

In his lifetime William Morris was famed for his poetry and known for his social activism, as much as for being a manufacturer and retailer. 150 years on, we celebrate his glorious repeating patterns, originally produced as wallpaper and furnishings for the Victorian home. Morris & Co. designs such as ‘Strawberry Thief’ and ‘Willow Bough’ are reproduced everywhere, on an infinity of different products.

 

Delving into the V&A’s extraordinary collection of designs, papers and textiles, this talk will explore the story of Morris’s passion for pattern and its relevance for today, looking at his collaborative working processes, the inspiration he found at the V&A, and interiors he and his wife Jane created for their own family homes.

 

Jenny Lister is a curator of fashion and textiles at the V&A, specialising in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Exhibitions she has curated include Mary Quant and Grace Kelly: Style Icon. She is the editor of Mary Quant (2019) and has written for V&A publications such as May Morris: Arts and Crafts Designer (2017) Silk: Fibre, Fabric, Fashion (2021) and William Morris: Pattern and Design (2025).