Font Designer – William Morris

William Morris – born 24. 3. 1834 in Walthamstow, England, died 3. 10. 1896 in Hammersmith, England – painter, designer, printer, publisher, author, typographer, type designer.

1853–55: studies at Exeter College, Oxford. 1856: works at G. E. Street´s architect´s office in Oxford. Starts painting. 1859: Monks, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. is founded. The company designs and manufactures jewelry, stained glass windows, wallpaper and complete interiors. 1862: the company´s products are exhibited at the "London International Exhibition of Art and Industry". 1866–80: designs interiors for St James Palace and in 1867 the cafeteria in the Victoria & Albert Museum. 1875: Morris relaunches the company as Morris & Co. 1877: declines a professorship in literature at Oxford University. 1883: joins the Democratic Federation (later called the Social Democratic Federation). Holds public political speeches for the Socialist cause. Founds the Art Workers Guild. 1890: launches the Kelmscott Press. 1892: refuses to be made poet laureate. 1896: gives his last public speech at a meeting held by the Society for Checking the Abuses of Public Advertisement.

Fonts: Golden Type® (1890), Troy Type (1892), Chaucer Type (1893).
Publications include: "The collected works of William Morris" (24 vols.), London 1910–15, New York 1966. May Morris (ed.) "William Morris, artist, writer, socialist", Oxford 1936; Edward P. Thompson "The communism of William Morris", London 1965.


* TYPOGRAPHY – An Encyclopedic Survey of Type Design and Techniques Throughout History by Friedrich Friedl, Nicolaus Ott (Editor), Bernard Stein, published by Könemann Verlagsgesellschaft mbH.
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