William Morris to Whistler: Papers and Addresses on Art and Craft and the Commonweal

WILLIAM MORRIS TO WHISTLER PREFACE OF the collected papers and addresses which form this book, the opening one upon William Morris was composed of an address to the Art Workers Guild, an article which appeared in The Progressive Review, at the instance of Mr. J. A. Hobson, and a longer illustrated article written for The Century Magazine, and now reprinted with the illustrations by permission of Messrs. Charles Scribners Sons, to whom my thanks are due. The Socialist Ideal as a New Inspiration in Art was written for The International Review, when it appeared under the editorship of Dr. Rudolph Broda, as the English edition of Docu ments du Progres. The English Revival in Decorative Art ap peared in the Fortnightly Review and I have to thank Mr. W. L. Courtney for allowing me to seprint it. It has some additions. Notes on Early Italian Gesso Work was written for Messrs. George Newness Magazine of the Fine Arts with the illustrations, and I am obliged to them for leave to use both again. Notes on Colour Embroidery and its Treat ment was written at Mrs. Christies request for PREFACE Embroidery which she edited, and I have Messrs. Pearsalls authority to include it here. The Apotheosis of The Butterfly was a review written for The Evening News, and I thank the editor for letting me print it again. It appears now, however, with a different title, and considerable additions. A Short Survey of the Art of the Century appeared in a journal, the name of which has escaped me, but it has been largely rewritten and added to since. For the rest, Modern Aspects of Life and the Sense of Beauty was originally addressed as the opening of a debate at the Pioneer Club, in which my late friend Lewis F. Daywas my opponent, and my chief supporter was Mr. J, Ramsay Mac donald, M. P. Art and the Commonweal was an address to the Students of Art at Armstrong College, Newcastle-on-Tyne, and the paper On Some of the Arts allied to Architecture was given before the Architectural Association. That On the Study and Practice of Art was delivered in Man chester before the Art School Committee and City authorities, and the Notes on Animals in Art to the Art Workers 1 Guild in London. WALTER CRANE, KENSINGTON, September 1911, vi CONTENTS IAGF. WILLIAM MORRIS AND HIS WORK . . . 3 THE ENGLISH REVIVAL IN DECORATIVE ART 47 THE SOCIALIST IDEAL AS A NEW INSPIRA TION IN ART 83 ON THE STUDY AND PRACTICE OF ART . . 105 ON SOME OF THE ARTS AND CRAFTS ALLIED TO ARCHITECTURE 125 NOTES ON COLOUR EMBROIDERY AND ITS TREATMENT 149 NOTES ON EARLY ITALIAN GESSO WORK . 163 NOTES ON THE TREATMENT OF ANIMALS IN ART 185 MODERN ASPECTS OF LIFE AND THE SENSE OF BEAUTY 207 A SHORT SURVEY OF THE ART OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY, CHIEFLY IN ENGLAND, WITH SOME NOTES ON RE CENT DEVELOPMENTS 223 ART AND THE COMMONWEAL 241 THE APOTHEOSIS OF THE BUTTERFLY . 259 Vll LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1 AdE Portrait of William Morris. From a photograph by Emery Walker 2 Pen-Sketch of Morris Speaking from a Wagon in Hyde Park. By Walter Crane . . 15 Design for Wall-paper. The Daisy 18 Design for Wall-paper. Rose Trellis 19 Woollen Hanging. tc The Peacock ........ 22 Design for Silk Hanging 23 Cotton Print. Evenlode . . 25 Kelniscott House. Meeting Room of the Hammersmith Socialist Society 27 Pages from Morriss MS. of Omar Khayyam . 30, 31, 32, 33 Pen Design by Walter Crane . 47, 83 Progressive blackboard practice in Bi-Manual Training from New Methodsin Education by Liberty Tadd 109 Patterns of Roman Mosaic Pavement, from the Baths of Caracalla 129, 130, 131 Patterns in Plain Leading, from The Glaziers Booke . 143 Russian Peasant Embroidery Blouse in Cross Stitch . 151 Cretan Embroidery 153 Embroidered Cover from Bokhara . ., . . . ., 155 Original Design for Embroidered Hanging, by. Walter Crane 157 Examples of Early Italian Gesso Work Victoria and Albert Museum 167-1 81 Egyptian Treatment of Birds. Eighteenth dynasty, Hieroglyphics...