The Morris & Co. Wallpaper Network

About the Project

The Morris & Co. Wallpaper Network launched in 2026 at the V&A in partnership with the William Morris Gallery. It brings together wallpaper historians, curators, archivists and conservators to examine museum collections of Morris & Co. wallpapers to identify future directions of research.

Context

Wallpapers were a significant part of the Morris & Co. business, yet the production and design of wallpapers are an understudied area of the firm’s projects. The firm’s wallpaper designers, including Morris himself, May Morris, John Henry Dearle and Kate Faulkner, generated designs that were produced by leading wallpaper manufacturer Jeffrey & Co. between 1864 and 1927. Over a hundred designs were produced, with many bespoke papers for different clients. After 1927 Arthur Sanderson & Sons purchased the original timber printing blocks and continued producing Morris & Co. wallpapers.

Aim

A focus on wallpapers’ media is integral to understanding Morris & Co.’s and Jeffrey & Co.’s production process. Analysis of original 19th and 20th century wallpapers, with a particular emphasis on wallpaper sample albums, as well as primary documentation, will provide new avenues for research. By bringing together a cohort of UK wallpaper and Morris & Co. specialists for the first time to examine key collections, we will establish the current state of Morris & Co. wallpaper research and generate a framework for future research directions.

Outcomes

This project brings together key custodians of significant collections of Morris & Co. wallpapers, as well as scholars, archivists and curators to form a new research network. A two-day workshop, hosted in July 2026, is a forum for participants to examine collection objects, determine key research questions and formulate a framework for future directions. Public-facing outcomes, materials analysis and collections cataloguing projects are potential future outputs.