Jane Alice Morris

Jane Alice (Jenny) Morris (17 January 1861 – 11 July 1935) was an embroiderer. She was the elder daughter of William Morris and Jane Morris.

Jenny Morris
Jenny Morris, May, 1878
Born(1861-01-17)17 January 1861
Red House, Bexleyheath, London, England
Died25 March 1935(1935-03-25) (aged 74)
Over Stowey, Somerset, England
NationalityEnglish
Known forArts and Crafts movement
Parent(s)William Morris
Jane Morris
RelativesMay Morris (sister)

Life

Jenny Morris was born 17 January 1861 at Red House, Bexleyheath. The elder child of the designer, craftsman, writer and social communist William Morris and Jane Morris (née Burden), her younger sister May Morris was born a year later.

Jenny Morris by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1871

Jenny and her sister May were schooled at home, briefly attending Notting Hill High School. Highly intelligent, Jenny passed her Cambridge local examinations and was destined for one of the woman's colleges at Oxford or Cambridge University. However in 1867, she developed epilepsy. At first her symptoms were a relatively low level of severity, however as she got older her attacks got more frequent and severe.[1] Whilst her parents were alive, Jenny lived at home in London, or for extended periods staying by the coast with a companion. After her mother died, her sister May took over responsibility for arranging her care.[2]

Along with her sister and mother, Jenny was a skilled embroiderer and examples of her work are in the collection of the William Morris Gallery, London. Although these pieces show fine workmanship, her embroidery was limited to personal items for the family.[3] A collection of letters written by Jenny to her father's legal executor Sydney Cockerell between 1897 and 1919 are in The British Library.

She died at Over Stowey (in Somerset) on 11 July 1935 at the age of 74 of diabetic complications.

  • Jane and Jenny Morris circa 1864 by H. Smith
  • Morris and Burne-Jones Families, Jenny seated far right, photographed by Frederick Hollyer, 1874

Notes
  1. MacCarthy, Fiona. William Morris. A Life for our Time. Faber. p. 368. ISBN 0-571-17495--7.
  2. Rowan Bain (2017). "A Tale of Two Sisters: May and Jenny Morris". In Hulse, Lynn (ed.). May Morris. New Perspectives. London: Friends of the William Morris Gallery. pp. 42–55. ISBN 978 19108 85529.
  3. Parry, Linda. William Morris Textiles. V&A. p. 29. ISBN 978-1 85177 732 7.
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