Drawing With Light: Photographs From The William Morris Society’s Collection

Image: Kelmscott Manor, Morris’s Cotswold retreat

A photographic exhibition in Hammersmith from 30th August 2018 to 1st April 2019 features the work of local eminent Victorians William Morris and Emery Walker, who both lived and worked in the borough. Featuring images of original Morris & Co. works and previously unseen photographs of William Morris, his family and homes, this exhibition of images from the William Morris Society’s collection brings together for the first time pioneering photographs taken in the latter half of the 19th century.

The exhibition reveals the importance of photography within the Arts and Crafts Movement with carefully selected narratives and images of key individuals and places. It focuses on four Victorian photographers, all passionate about their craft, from recognised names such as Emery Walker (1851-1933) and the renowned photographer Frederick Hollyer (1838-1933), to the lesser known but no less important figures of John Robert Parsons (1826-1909) and Arthur Halcrow Verstage (1875-1969). It is not just the photographers who play a key part in this exhibition, it is also the subjects within the images; from people to architecture to artworks to posters, the exhibition creates a rounded record of William Morris’s later life and the individuals surrounding him who played pivotal roles in the Arts & Crafts Movement. 

Drawing with Light takes place in the Coach House of Kelmscott House, Hammersmith, Morris's home for the last 18 years of his life. Morris started to weave his first carpets in the Coach House and when he became active in politics, it became the meeting place for the Hammersmith branch of the Socialist League.

The exhibition also includes art works and tapestry panels, and is curated by Helen Elletson for the William Morris Society. Entry is free. For more details, visit the society’s website www.williammorrissociety.org.