SPOTLIGHT ON OBJECTS DONATED BY A PASSIONATE MORRIS COLLECTOR

Image: Pink and Poppy wallpaper original design, William Morris, 1880

An exhibition at The William Morris Society’s Museum in Hammersmith, London, highlights a collection of beautiful objects donated by Helena Stephenson. She was an enthusiastic admirer of William Morris, the Victorian designer, poet and socialist and a friend of his designer daughter May Morris.

The show includes original hand-drawn designs for commercial wallpapers, custom commissions, and textiles. Items featured include works saved by Stephenson from the Morris & Co. offices in 1940 upon dissolution of the firm. Helena saved these precious items of decorative art history, in addition to William Morris’s Hammersmith home.

Stephenson and her husband Morton purchased the riverside property in 1925 to save it from being converted into a boat house. The Stephensons greatly enjoyed living in the house for the next 47 years. Helena died in 1972 having bequeathed the house to The William Morris Society, which retains the basement rooms and coach house as a museum, shop and space for workshops, talks and events. The exhibition includes highlights from Helena’s life in the house and explores the impact of her generous legacy for the society to this day.

'Collecting Morris: Highlights from the Helena Stephenson Collection' continues to 13th April 2025. More details are available on the website www.williammorrissociety.org