The development of decorative arts in Australia : Morris & Co. and imported taste, 1862-1939

Abstract

This work inquires into decorative choices in the Australian states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, between the years of 1862 to 1939, with a view to highlighting the activities and uniqueness of Morris & Co. within the general commercial world in which the English firm operated. Morris & Co. (1861-1940) produced items for interior decoration and stained glass windows. Its ethos and activities were firmly rooted in the principles expounded by its founder, William Morris. The essence of those principles was upheld by John Henry Dearie following Morris’s death in 1896. The company’s products were so distinctive that publications continue to discuss them separately from other styles promoted during its lifetime. Customers who favoured Morris & Co. could be as individual as the company itself. This particularly applied to Australian clients because not only did the firm operate within a restricted business code but also Australia presented commercial and social considerations which differed from the British situation. Chapter 1 presents an overview to allow the reader to understand basic precepts governing Australian manufacturing and lifestyles and the workings of Morris & Co. Chapter 2 looks at particular circumstances and opinions in the mid-nineteenth century which affected Australian decorative manufacturing and Morris & Co. The Australian firms of Ferguson & Urie, Lyon, Cottier & Co. and W.H. Rocke & Co. are introduced in this Chapter. The purpose, assessments and outcomes of the first international exhibitions to be held in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide are considered in Chapter 3. The appearance of these exhibitions from 1879 allowed local manufacturers to present their wares to many more people than previously possible and in competition with the strong import industry. While Morris would later denigrate international exhibitions his company’s first showing to the public occurred at such an event in London and the educational possibilities he supported could be served by these affairs. In Chapter 4 the various avenues of decorative arts education followed in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia are examined. Education and responsibility to the public were important issues for William Morris. He not only applied his beliefs in these areas to his own Firm but also he devoted considerable time to their general dissemination. Australian manufacturers were encumbered by circumstances irrelevant to Morris & Co. Nonetheless Morris’s opinions proved relevant when authorities came to tackle the problem of design education in Australia. The practices of Adelaide’s Clarkson Ltd. in stained glass window manufacture are highlighted here. Chapter 5 studies the beginnings of the stained glass window industry in Australia, its British associations, Morris & Co.’s productions, the company’s first commission for Australia and a comparison of its style with Australian work. Chapter 6 focuses on Sydney’s Lyon, Cottier & Co., on the nature of the company as it converged with or diverged from the course of Morris & Co. Finally the concepts of style and fashion are pondered. In Chapter 7 fashionable decorative choices in Australia are considered. The Melbourne firm of W.H. Rocke & Co. is compared with Morris & Co. in terms of style and presentation of goods. There was only one Australian family to decorate extensively with Morris & Co.: Adelaide’s Barr Smiths. Chapter 8 investigates this family’s background and initial decorative preferences, the reasons why they subsequently favoured Morris & Co. and the progression of their Morris & Co. decorations. The embroidery side of Morris & Co. is taken into account. For stained glass windows to become a reality numerous concrete and emotional circumstances come into play. Chapter 9 discusses the practices and sentiments which affected Morris & Co.’s productions in Australian churches. Chapter 10 studies Morris & Co. items individually conveyed to Australia during the twentieth century, up until the company’s effective demise in 1939, with likely reasons for introduction. Articles for interior decoration and stained glass windows are examined.