For the first time, a joint biography of William Morris and his creative partner and wife, Jane Morris.
William Morris – poet, designer, campaigner, hero of the Arts & Crafts movement – was a giant of the Victorian age. His beautiful creations and provocative philosophies are still with us today: but his wife Jane is too often relegated to a footnote, an artist’s model given no history or personality of her own.
In truth, Jane and William's personal and creative partnership was the central collaboration of both their lives. The homes they made together – at Red House, Kelmscott Manor and in London – were gathering places for artists, writers and radical thinkers. Through their domestic life and the things they collected and made, Jane and William explored how we all might live a life more focused on beauty and fulfillment. As William said, ‘The secret of true happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life’.
In How We Might Live, Suzanne Fagence Cooper explores the lives and legacies of Jane and William Morris, finally giving Jane's work the attention it deserves and taking us inside two worlds of unparalleled creative artistry.
William and Jane's marriage was tested by infidelity, and the chronic illness of their daughter Jenny. There were times of sadness and dislocation. Still, these sufferings were resolved kindly. In their London home, poets and political firebrands often sat side by side at supper. We can hear the fierce discussions, the explosive tempers. And yet, under Jane's roof, there was always space for careful, quiet designing, for embroidery and calligraphy.William himself was constantly trying out new ideas, writing, drawing, weaving, talking. Sometimes it was hard for Jane to keep pace with him when he was ablaze with enthusiasm about a new project. It was then that all her resourcefulness, all her patience was most keenly valued by her family and friends.