Born into a prosperous family, William Morris (English, 1834–1896) left Oxford University to join an architectural firm but turned to the decorative arts. In 1861 he formed his own company in London with several Pre-Raphaelites, including Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones. Morris also wrote poetry and fiction, a helped found the socialist movement in England, and designed typefaces, fabrics, and wallpaper. The gorgeous floral and foliate wallpaper designs in this calendar were selected from sample books of William Morris and Company.