This lecture looks at historical material that influenced Morris, the impact of his patterns on selected others, and the long-term life of his wallpapers. The exchange between textile and wallpaper patterns is a core sub-theme leading to the identification of key distinctions between these. As a freelance writer, archivist and curator since 1991, Mary Schoeser FRSA is currently developing an exhibition for the Fashion & Textile Museum (Spring 2025) based on Textiles: The art of mankind (Thames & Hudson, 2012 and 2013). In this – as well as in her many books such as Silk (Yale University Press, 2007), The Art of Wallpaper: Morris & Co. in context (ACC Books 2022) and World Textiles: a concise history (Thames & Hudson 2022) – she draws upon her work as an historian to inform an understanding of leading-edge developments. She is affiliated with the Victoria and Albert Museum as an Honorary Senior Research Fellow, and is Patron of both the School of Textiles, Coggeshall, and the Bernat Klein Foundation.