A Call to Art
William Morris and the Pre-Raphaelites
Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd
Will be published approx. on 22. October 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
160 pages
978-1-78130-142-5 (ISBN)
Description
A catalogue accompanying an exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, exploring how beautiful art and radical social ideals intertwined with the work of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement.
Behind the decorative designs and romantic storytelling of British designer and activist William Morris lies a radical vision for the future. Grappling with many of the issues we still face today, William Morris and his circle - including makers and designers such as Kate Faulkner and his daughter May Morris, and Pre-Raphaelites Edward Burne-Jones, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Elizabeth Siddal - dared to imagine an alternative, fairer future with art for all.
A Call to Art goes beyond the decorative motifs and medieval love stories, taking the reader deeper into the group's collective vision, collaborative action and shared belief in the power of art and beauty to bring about positive social change. Still faced with rampant industrialisation and the ongoing destruction of the natural world, can we too look to the past and reimagine a better future?
Bringing together paintings, drawings, textiles, ceramics and more, fresh perspectives are given on one of the world's most influential thinkers, making this an ideal introduction to the movement and to the Fitzwilliam Museum's extraordinary collections.
Behind the decorative designs and romantic storytelling of British designer and activist William Morris lies a radical vision for the future. Grappling with many of the issues we still face today, William Morris and his circle - including makers and designers such as Kate Faulkner and his daughter May Morris, and Pre-Raphaelites Edward Burne-Jones, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Elizabeth Siddal - dared to imagine an alternative, fairer future with art for all.
A Call to Art goes beyond the decorative motifs and medieval love stories, taking the reader deeper into the group's collective vision, collaborative action and shared belief in the power of art and beauty to bring about positive social change. Still faced with rampant industrialisation and the ongoing destruction of the natural world, can we too look to the past and reimagine a better future?
Bringing together paintings, drawings, textiles, ceramics and more, fresh perspectives are given on one of the world's most influential thinkers, making this an ideal introduction to the movement and to the Fitzwilliam Museum's extraordinary collections.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
Illustrated in colour throughout
Dimensions
Height: 280 mm
Width: 240 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
454 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78130-142-5 (9781781301425)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Jan Marsh is a Cambridge graduate whose books include biographies of Dante Gabriel and Christina Rossetti, Jane and May Morris and Elizabeth Siddal.
Karen Livingstone is a deputy director at the Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge, and has published several books, including Women Pioneers of the Arts and Crafts Movement.
Karen Livingstone is a deputy director at the Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge, and has published several books, including Women Pioneers of the Arts and Crafts Movement.
Content
Director's Foreword
1. Morris and the Book - Jan Marsh
2. Women and the Firm - Karen Livingstone
3. Politics and Economics - Terry Eagleton
4. Morris, the Colonial Exhibitions and Anti-Imperialism - Tristram Hunt
5. Nature and Environmentalism - Suzanne Fagence Cooper
Notes
Further Reading
Picture Credits
Acknowledgements
Index
1. Morris and the Book - Jan Marsh
2. Women and the Firm - Karen Livingstone
3. Politics and Economics - Terry Eagleton
4. Morris, the Colonial Exhibitions and Anti-Imperialism - Tristram Hunt
5. Nature and Environmentalism - Suzanne Fagence Cooper
Notes
Further Reading
Picture Credits
Acknowledgements
Index