At Home with Jane and William Morris - Suzanne Fagence Cooper

An event in celebration of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day
William Morris - poet, designer, Socialist - was one of the most dynamic figures of the Victorian age. But his beautiful wife Jane has often been overlooked. George Bernard Shaw called her ‘the silentest woman I ever met’. And Henry James said she was ‘an apparition of fearful and wonderful intensity’. Should we accept that these images reflect the reality of Jane’s life and character?
Jane built a network of female friends and colleagues. She hosted writers, anarchists and artists at her homes in Kent, London and Oxfordshire. For the first time, in this new joint biography, we can see how she and William Morris worked together to develop a radical household. As he said, ‘the true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life’.
About the speaker
Dr Suzanne Fagence Cooper is an art historian who works on 19th and 20th century British art. She was a curator and Research Fellow at the V&A Museum, and in 2019 curated a major exhibition at York Art Gallery, 'Ruskin, Turner & the Storm Cloud'. She is an Arts Society Lecturer, and historical consultant for TV and film. She is the author of 'To See Clearly: Why Ruskin Matters', 'Effie Gray' and 'Pre-Raphaelite Art in the V&A Museum'. Her most recent book is 'How we might live: At Home with Jane and William Morris' (Quercus 2022).