International Kelmscott Press Day
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June 26, 2021 marks a new holiday in the world of printing and book arts– it’s International Kelmscott Press Day! To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Kelmscott Chaucer, the William Morris society announced a worldwide celebration of the press that produced this incredible book.
William Morris
For those who are not familiar, Kelmscott Press was a printing studio run by the prolific English artist, William Morris, and his edition of The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer is the work the press is most renowned for.
William Morris was an artist with a very specific creative ideology. He was born into the age of industrialization, and the work he created was a direct reaction to the times. Morris was a figurehead of the Arts and Crafts Movement, which stood against the shoddy manufacturing, poor working conditions, and cheap products that came out of factories at the time. Instead of embracing new industrial processes, the movement idealized the craftsmanship of Middle Ages. Morris and his fellow artists drew inspiration from Medieval art and valued working by hand to produce high-quality goods. In the 1860s, Morris founded a design firm, which manufactured decorative items like textiles, stained glass, and wallpaper. Despite their contrarian views on labor and aesthetics, the company’s designs were extremely popular with its Victorian audience and Morris became quite successful.
After a long life of artistic success and social activism, Morris retired to his summer home, Kelmscott Manor, and set up a press in a nearby cottage. This was the beginning of the Kelmscott Press. Morris created the Press as a personal project, to create books he found beautiful. He printed his own writings, texts by his contemporaries, and Medieval works.
The William Morris Society’s Albion Press
An 1863 Albion press at the Printing Museum
In setting up the press, Morris put considerable thought into both the design of his books and into the process by which he made them. He purchased a number of Albion hand presses to print books that would emulate the designs in Medieval manuscripts. Although more modern presses, like the cylinder press and platen press, had been invented, Morris preferred the old-fashioned method of hand printing, feeling that it was more in keeping with traditional craftsmanship.
Morris rejected modern ink and paper and had these supplies outsourced by various artisans. The book bindings produced for the press were also a nod to the past. Instead of using leather bindings, which were popular at the time, Morris had his publications bound in a historic limp vellum style or in a simple linen and board cover. The illustrations in Kelmscott publications were engraved on woodblocks and the type and decorative elements were made with punches that had been cut by hand.
A replica kelmscott binding by karen hamner
the Title page of the kelmscott chaucer
Morris’s ideas were drawn from historic influences but ultimately he created books in a style all his own. The designs he made were inspired by the Medieval era, more than they were a direct reproduction of Medieval art, and the same can be said for his production process at the Kelmscott Press. The elaborate books created at the Kelmscott Press are incredible feats of innovation and artistry. The most elaborate of these works was the Kelmscott Chaucer, which was completed on June 26, 1891– 125 years ago today. While all Kelmscott books were immaculately designed and made with labored precision, the illustrations and decorative borders that distinguish them were usually limited to a few pages. In contrast, every single page of the Kelmscott Chaucer has an illustration, borders, and decorative typography. It is truly a masterpiece and an unparalleled feat of printing.
Here at the Museum, we have two small works produced by the Kelmscott Press, which came from our founder, Ernie Lindner’s, personal collection. These two books have simple linen covers but their title pages are intricately designed. The Museum is also home to a number of Albion presses of various sizes, which are contemporaries of the hand presses Morris himself used.
