Illustration: William Morris. Trellis, 1864.
Jeffrey & Co were established in 1836. They started wallpaper production by issuing basic machine and hand-printed wallpapers that were more or less indistinguishable from their main competitors.
It wasn't until the employment of Metford Warner as a junior partner in the early 1860s, that the company began to change both its format and its direction. When Warner was made sole proprietor in 1869, Jeffrey & Co set out on its path to become the leading wallpaper manufacturer of the nineteenth century.
It wasn't until the employment of Metford Warner as a junior partner in the early 1860s, that the company began to change both its format and its direction. When Warner was made sole proprietor in 1869, Jeffrey & Co set out on its path to become the leading wallpaper manufacturer of the nineteenth century.
Illustration: William Morris. Daisy, 1864.
Warner was one of those enviable but rare breeds, an idealist with business sense. Under his guidance the company not only became one of the most successful manufacturers of the century, but more importantly, an important influence on generations of designers.
The output of Jeffrey & Co always tried to achieve the highest of standards. However, that does not necessarily imply that they always achieved that aim or that their standards were significantly higher than their rivals. Wallpaper companies such as Woolams & Co produced designs that were just as technically proficient as Warners company.
Illustration: William Morris. Pomegranate, 1866.
Where Jeffrey & Co differed significantly with their rivals was in their general attitude to the design work itself. Warner was always insistent that wallpaper designs should be as close to the original concept of the designer as possible, an attitude not widely accepted within the manufacturing world then and now. Anyone who has had dealings, as a designer, with modern wallpaper manufacturers will no doubt be aware that little has changed. This makes Warners attitude to the designer as well as to the design, all the more remarkable, in an age that largely dealt with mass-production, minimal designer input and large profits.
Illustration: William Morris. Jasmine, 1872.
Warner was also keen on encouraging the leading designers and architects of the period to contribute towards the high standard of wallpaper design that he was determined to maintain. He was able to persuade some of the best talent of the day, the likes of Lewis F Day, E W Godwin, Charles Eastlake, William Burges, C F A Voysey, Owen Jones and Walter Crane, to produce work for his company.
Illustration: William Morris. Acanthus, 1875.
It must have been Warners unfailing idealism to the maintenance of high standards in design and production of wallpapers that attracted William Morris to Jeffrey & Co. The company was always able to keep Morris happy, no mean feat as Morris was notoriously difficult to please as far as finished work was concerned, and rightly so, as Morris had a high reputation to uphold and only the highest standard would be acceptable to him.
Illustration: William Morris. Pimpernel, 1876.
Jeffrey & Co never let Morris down and in return the company produced Morris & Co's wallpapers right up until the 1930s when Jeffrey & Co were taken over by Arthur Sanderson.
Further reading links:
WALLPAPERS OF THE VICTORIAN ERA
The Victorian Wallpaper Design Book
William Morris Wallpapers and Chintzes
William Morris Wallpapers
Morris, William, Designs for Wallpapers
WILLIAM MORRIS: Wallpapers and Designs
The wallpaper designs of William Morris
Further reading links:
WALLPAPERS OF THE VICTORIAN ERA
The Victorian Wallpaper Design Book
William Morris Wallpapers and Chintzes
William Morris Wallpapers
Morris, William, Designs for Wallpapers
WILLIAM MORRIS: Wallpapers and Designs
The wallpaper designs of William Morris
