The Guardian view on William Morris: how the Strawberry Thief took over the world | Editorial

The visionary designer never achieved his dream of art for all in his lifetime. Now his prints are everywhere. He would be thrilled and appalledThe great 19th-century designer William Morris wasn’t thinking of a £2 floral iPhone cover when he wrote “Tomorrow, the civilised world shall have a new art, a glorious art, made by the people and for the people.” In his lifetime he failed in his dream of making art for all, while paying his workers fairly. Only the homes of the wealthy were decorated by Morris & Co. As he feared, he had simply been “ministering to the swinish luxury of the rich”.But today his designs can be found everywhere, from John Lewis to Chinese online marketplace Temu. His Strawberry Thief print is the most popular item in the V&A museum shop, and the internet is awash with AI-generated posters for fake William Morris V&A exhibitions. A new show, Morris Mania, at the William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow, explores how his botanical prints went viral, with a callout to the public to loan their own Morris ephemera.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

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