Morris & Co. (1875-1940) succeeded Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. (1861-1875) both as furnishing and decorative arts manufacturer and retailer in the United Kingdom. Begun as a partnership which included many of the Pre-Raphaelite artists, Morris restructured "the firm" as it was known in August 1874, generating a dispute among several of the participants.
In the 1870s Morris became particularly interested in dyes and began a series of experiments with the goal of bringing back the use of natural dyes which had been superseded by new chemical components in the early 19th century. In June 1881 he relocated the dyeworks from Queen Square, London to an old disused silk work at Merton Abbey on the River Wandle. The river supplied the necessary water for the dyeing process. Tapestries were added in the early 1880s to the substantial range of offerings in household furnishings. Many notable commissions were received including Standen near East Grinstead in West Sussex and Stanmore Hall, outside of Birmingham, the last commission completed prior to Morris' death in 1896.
The company continued under new art direction after Morris death until it dissolved in the early months of World War II.
