Original William Morris Hammersmith Rug woven 1885

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The source of carpet comes from the book Arts & Crafts Carpets, by Malcolm Haslam, and David Black, 1991, fig.49. This Hammersmith carpet was designed by William Morris in 1882, in the United Kingdom. In 1887 English artist and bookbinder T.J. Cobden Sanderson, suggested that a new group be named the “Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society” As a result, he was the first to use the term “Art and Crafts” and also is credited with naming this new emerging movement. The Arts & Crafts movement was inspired by the degradation of product standards that resulted from the factory production age. The rise of machinery in manufacturing caused a noticeable decline in uniqueness and crafts. These anti-Industrial reformers promoted economic advancement and social change. They wanted to eliminate poor quality and “artificial” items from 19th century British society. They saw a plethora of uninteresting items on display at the Great Exhibition of 1851 and became inspired to launch a Campaign for originality and uniqueness. William Morris was an English designer, as well as an uplifting social activist and writer. Morris is credited with sparking the rebirth of textile arts and traditional means of production. In 1861, Morris and a small group of designers opened an incredibly fashionable design company that grew to be largely successful. Morris left behind works in many different mediums such as textiles, books, furniture, stained glass, and area rugs. But in the end, he is most remembered for the magnificent wallpapers that he designed. He got much of his inspiration from the natural world. Through his interior decor pieces, Morris set out to convert rooms or spaces into meadows with beautiful trees meandering, vines, and plants. This concept of taking something Industrial and man-made, and converting it into something natural is what William Morris meant when he once said: “-any decoration is futile… when it does not remind you of something beyond itself.” Morris was a huge commercial success and his works are some of the most sought-after pieces in the world of design and decor. He is also credited with almost single-handedly reviving the British textile arts as well as their methods of production. Morris was also severely critical of machine-made goods, exclaiming, “Today almost all wares that are made by civilized man are shabbily and pretentiously ugly.” Houses were filled “with tons and tons of unutterable rubbish,” which, he suggested, should be heaped onto a gigantic bonfire! “As a condition of life, production by machinery is altogether evil.” He masterminded one of the most well-known styles of Arts & Crafts, recognizable by its twisting and arching patterns and simple, elegant floral design prints. Although Morris believed that Persian carpets were the greatest ever made, he adopted the coarser Turkish (Ghiordes) knot for his hand knotted carpet manufacture. They were woven at a thickness of 25 knots to the square inch at that time. Morris & Co.’s rugs are reminiscent of Persian garden design carpets in that they are smartly styled depictions of English gardens. Donegal also started producing highly desirable Irish rugs in the late 19th century. The Donegal rugs were predominantly created by English architects C.F.A. Voysey and Gavin Morton. The handcrafted Voysey rugs are typically woven in England, Scotland, and Ireland. Voysey had a knack for using contrasting shapes to decorate flat monochromatic spaces. Dark outlines added a flair of drama to his signature pattern and Celtic rug...