Sussex chair, William Morris; Morris, Marshal, Faulkner & Co.

Artwork Overview

William Morris; Morris, Marshal, Faulkner & Co., Sussex chair
William Morris; Morris, Marshal, Faulkner & Co., Sussex chair
William Morris , Morris, Marshal, Faulkner & Co.
Sussex chair
circa 1870
William Morris
1834–1896
Morris, Marshal, Faulkner & Co.
Sussex chair, circa 1870
Where object was made: England, United Kingdom
Material/technique: ebonized beech wood; plant fiber
Dimensions:
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 85.1 x 49.3 x 41.9 cm
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 33 1/2 x 19 3/8 x 16 1/2 in
Credit line: Museum purchase: Friends of the Art Museum
Accession number: 1976.0027
Not on display
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Images

Label texts

Empire of Things
As an English textile designer and artist, William Morris’s design philosophy championed the handcraft production and aesthetic merit of goods. The simple yet elegant shapes of this chair eschewed the contemporary trend of excess ornament and shoddy mass-produced goods churned out by the technological advancements of the Industrial Revolution. The design was suited for a skilled craftsman rather than a steam-powered machine. The woven seat evokes the humble materials of its country prototype, a chair found in the county Sussex and made by a rural craftsman.

Exhibitions

Empire of Things
Kris Ercums, curator
Kate Meyer, curator
2016–2021
Empire of Things
Kris Ercums, curator
Kate Meyer, curator
2013–2015
Celebrating the Spencer: Friends Acquisitions
Beverly Joyce, curator
Jean Rosenthal, curator
1997–1998
Art with a Mission: Objects of the Arts and Crafts Movement
Pat Fidler, curator
1991

Resources

Audio

Citations

The University of Kansas Museum of Art. The Register of the Museum of Art 5, no. 4, Spring (1977):

Fidler, Patricia J. Art with a Mission: Objects of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Lawrence, Kansas: Spencer Museum of Art, The University of Kansas, 1991.