Here is a link to the place in case anyone fancies it. I really enjoyed it and it was encouraging to see so many other visitors there. It’s free to get in too!
The earliest example of planned obsolescence were women’s stockings or “nylons.” The mid century pre WW2 were sturdy and tough. They disappeared during the war to make parachutes. Sometime after the war though they realized that if they weakened the product to snag and run women will always need to buy more. In a related vein, the movement to a subscription model means people will keep paying indefinitely (rather than actually owning CDs or DVDs). Makes. Me. Crazy.
Yes this makes sense. It’s a poundshop mentality. Pile em high n sell em cheap. Yes I still feel lied to over CDs actually. We were told they’d last forever. What bollocks. They scratched and jumped. I think you’re right about the subscription model of life too. All ties in very nicely to the WEF “own nothing and be happy” ethos.
I recently thought I was going to have to replace my printer and could not find a new printer where you could buy the ink anywhere else but from the manufacturer of the printer, subscription etc etc. No choice, you either buy your ink from us or you can't have a printer. WTAF! Nearly lost my reason, thank God my printer got figured out and kicked that ball down the road. That means all those little printer ink businesses gone, total control.
“Over sized melon stockists” - you did it, transported me there instantly! I grew near Morris’s other house in Bexleyheath, The Red House. South of the Thames.
Yes, my energy company keeps telling me my dumb electric meter is 7 years past it’s “best before” date. I never would have thought of it as being beautiful but it’s becoming more so because it represents resistance (no electrical pun intended) to the bland, mundane, dehumanising control that is being foisted upon us.
All we need is one big solar flare, in a post-silicon world we will grow our own food, prize our artisanal producers of everything from food to clothes to furniture. I dream.
He was a wonderful man, even in his own time he stood out as different to the times in which he lived, a designer, a poet, a champion for workers rights (what he would make of our Labour Party now, what would he make of our Civil architecture, of our clothes, of our popular culture, we have swopped Lizzie Siddal for Taylor Swift, the idealised beauty of Guinevere for Charlie XCX's pineapple scented private parts).
And, unusually for our ugly and revisionist times, it isn't even possible to cancel him for his personal conduct, he loved his wife, artist's muse Jane, very deeply, despite her companionship with Dante Gabriel Rossetti, even coming to an arrangement with Rossetti for the shared lease of a home where Jane and Rosetti could conduct their love affair, very Henry and June (the married Anais Nin and Henry Miller had a relationship tolerated and financed by Nin's husband).
Yes, it was refreshing to read that his children reported having an idyllic childhood. I bet he was a wonderful father, bursting with imagination and encouraging the appreciation of nature.
Yes it’s a shame Jane fell for Rosetti but from the information in the gallery, sounds like on her part being from a poor background, the marriage was largely for financial security rather than love.
Hi Julie - you did spark off a burst of browsing and film downloading about the PRB, I have always liked Morris and lived in a house that was dressed in Morris and Co wallpapers, my wife was old before her time and for 30 somethings I think it was a lot pretentious, but I still love the patterns. As for their romance, well I think Morris took knightly and chivalric behaviour very seriously - not to mention some form of PRB Bro Code with Dante, and didn’t seem to think he (Morris) could make demands on Jane, however he was also work focused and some suggest that the price of his productivity was his tolerance for Jane’s affair, which indeed started before she met William, she was not financially at risk, although she came from poor origins and this was not a good time to be a woman without a husband, she stayed with Rossetti to his death, Morris was very wealthy throughout, so my reading is she was deeply attracted to and loved Dante, Morris knew this and didn’t force her to be a good wife as it would have made her unhappy. Nowadays, I’d scoff at his behaviour and many would regard him as a beta male in today’s parlance, but then, he was chivalric and believed in love and I think, he believed also that he should do nothing that would make the already broken (by the loss of his wife, probably by suicide) Rosetti less of an artist. What remarkable people.
Yes, in a way that’s true love - on his part. When you genuinely want the best for someone - even if it breaks your own heart - it’s the ultimate sacrifice for them, isn’t it? You truly put their happiness above your own.
Yes, absolutely. By the way I regret I earlier mis-read your comment that Jane’s interest in Dante was financial, of course it was not, but it must have influenced her decision to say yes to Morris.
Thought provoking as ever Julie. Your principle of simplicity resonates with me particularly. My prize possession is a 1979 motorcycle which I modified some years ago, making it even more simple. No kickstand switch, indicators, tachometer. Off went about 40kg of unnecessary parts. End result is a bike that’s more reliable and fun to ride. Same with possessions - less is more. They just weigh you down. Except books 😂
Yes, travelling light is a good philosophy both in actuality and mentality. I’ve mastered it with possessions these days, mentally I’m a work in progress.
This, my friend, was a GREAT read. Food for my soul. The useful is our old home filled with old treasures and art. When John and I met in our early 20's we both had antique furniture in our rooms purchased from adds. Maybe you and I are related in another space and time. What a fascinating person William Morris was! (Funny, no relation -- but there was a famous agency in Hollywood called William Morris). I certainly don't belong in this present world either. For over a month I have been placed in algorithm jail again, wishing to show more beauty and raw truth but alas nothing in this life is created without control from the money monsters.
I have a "stupid" wash machine and dryer that I wouldn't know how to live without. We had a moment of madness (in 2003) buying a smart set. The washer jumped across the room on spin leaving our clothes smelling like bad eggs. Bought a stupid set and never looked back. 22 years!!!!!! and I lovingly speak to them (lol) as a few dryer knob settings have lost their way.
Tried to respond to your comment via my actual Substack website -- but 3 tries and it shut my site down each time. Another new thing. This was just now. So back on the one finger typing app.
Yes, I am trusting. Albeit hard to publish for myself or Lighthouse and see numbers cut in half. I think they took my name out of things. For the first time I unpublished my May piece for Lighthouse and noticed Alexander appeared in the carousel today which is good because it's happening to him too. I only use my name when I write for Lighthouse. My problem, despite my faith, is I’ve had too many years of this as well as real life tossing out - so my human sensitive meter has left me tired.
Oh bless you. Yes Substack is full of glitches. I don’t get as much interaction on my posts anymore despite having more subscribers. I just tell myself they must be silent types 😂
Glad your visit was good and you enjoyed the scenery.l wonder what our lives would be like if we had an awareness of how we are all gifted and had people like William Morris for inspiration.lnstead of You, shall own nothing and Global warming from Greta Thunderpants.How did we regress to this state of insanity.Thanks Julie for your information.😊xxx.
Really resonated. Love William Morris designs and colour, am in the process of teaching myself Sashiko embroidery and lining a needle case, i know, very last century, with beautiful WM patterned fabric. To add to the list of doublespeak for worse, Vegan shoes/bag etc means plastic!! oh and that's better for the planet.
Oh thank you. I haven’t heard of Sashiko embroidery. Always great to learn a new skill! I remember when I taught myself to crochet a few years ago. Go you!
Yes a lot of vegan stuff is very bad for health too - ultra processed, although thankfully, not all. ❤️
You're quite correct. Built-in obsolescence, plus impossible to unscrew fasteners, means it is simpler and often cheaper to buy a replacement than repair the old model. This keeps the global economy going, not to mention those third world sweatshops where the new stuff is made.
Who's to blame? The architects of the Industrial Revolution? Adam Smith? Henry Ford?
This might be a duplicate, since the computer ate my comment just now. Anyhow, here ‘tis:-
I LOVE this. Been waiting on your travel tales, Julie and I agree with everything. The WEF advertise that ‘You will own nothing and be Happy’, cos they want us to forever be in this cycle of soul-less, inferior quality goods while they pocket our hard-earned cash. Speaking of which, I’m known locally as the Cash Woman – my fiver is worth a fiver no matter how many transactions its involved with over time – not so with an online fiver. And keeping it simple is the only way to go for me. Looking forward to your next tale, Julie!
Thank you Una. I think all these cyber attacks and systems going down have made people more aware of the dangers of doing everything online. That said, we are subtly (and not so subtly) pushed in certain directions. Supermarket checkouts are a prime example. The people wishing to use manned tills are made to walk to the far end of the store whilst those opting for self scan get the most convenient means of exit.
Agree with every word. It wasn't all that long ago that we made durable things that were beautiful. Morris epitomised this but you see it in many buildings of the nineteenth century and early twentieth, from ornate architecture to gorgeous ceramic tiles and so on. Now it's just slap it up and get it sold. Horrible. Thank you for highlighting this. Maybe one day we will return to beauty and quality before some of the important skills are lost.
Yes, it’s currently a disposable world that prizes economy over people, sadly. We are lacking products that not only last a long time but that we can repair easily too. This would be truly green instead of the pathetic faux green token gestures we have at the moment.
Absolutely. The obsession with maximising profit will continue to hold back human progress. Greed is at the root of it all, sadly. There is more to life than chasing more and more money - the reward of creating something beautiful, something that lasts, and making enough money to keep doing it.
I was trying to pick up a 'simple' click and collect yesterday. The only thing simple about it was me waving my phone around to get a signal. No luck. No code texted to me to show the staff any more. Walked into the store, picked the item off the shelf and bought it. That's simple.
Indeed. Some things feel like such hard work these days. I felt the same checking into a place was staying at the other day. The ‘self check in’ turned out to be way more difficult, time consuming and far less pleasant than an old school welcome at a guest house.
Here is a link to the place in case anyone fancies it. I really enjoyed it and it was encouraging to see so many other visitors there. It’s free to get in too!
https://www.wmgallery.org.uk/?gmb
The earliest example of planned obsolescence were women’s stockings or “nylons.” The mid century pre WW2 were sturdy and tough. They disappeared during the war to make parachutes. Sometime after the war though they realized that if they weakened the product to snag and run women will always need to buy more. In a related vein, the movement to a subscription model means people will keep paying indefinitely (rather than actually owning CDs or DVDs). Makes. Me. Crazy.
Yes this makes sense. It’s a poundshop mentality. Pile em high n sell em cheap. Yes I still feel lied to over CDs actually. We were told they’d last forever. What bollocks. They scratched and jumped. I think you’re right about the subscription model of life too. All ties in very nicely to the WEF “own nothing and be happy” ethos.
I recently thought I was going to have to replace my printer and could not find a new printer where you could buy the ink anywhere else but from the manufacturer of the printer, subscription etc etc. No choice, you either buy your ink from us or you can't have a printer. WTAF! Nearly lost my reason, thank God my printer got figured out and kicked that ball down the road. That means all those little printer ink businesses gone, total control.
Yes, this happens too often. All about the cash.
“Over sized melon stockists” - you did it, transported me there instantly! I grew near Morris’s other house in Bexleyheath, The Red House. South of the Thames.
Yes, my energy company keeps telling me my dumb electric meter is 7 years past it’s “best before” date. I never would have thought of it as being beautiful but it’s becoming more so because it represents resistance (no electrical pun intended) to the bland, mundane, dehumanising control that is being foisted upon us.
Oh The Red House looks fabulous. They had pictures of it in there.
I took a picture of the melons as they were huge 😂😂 I was very impressed, would have bought one had I thought I’d be able to carry it with my luggage.
Oh I keep getting the texts about my electric meter too. Last I heard I think they were trying to bribe me.
All we need is one big solar flare, in a post-silicon world we will grow our own food, prize our artisanal producers of everything from food to clothes to furniture. I dream.
He was a wonderful man, even in his own time he stood out as different to the times in which he lived, a designer, a poet, a champion for workers rights (what he would make of our Labour Party now, what would he make of our Civil architecture, of our clothes, of our popular culture, we have swopped Lizzie Siddal for Taylor Swift, the idealised beauty of Guinevere for Charlie XCX's pineapple scented private parts).
And, unusually for our ugly and revisionist times, it isn't even possible to cancel him for his personal conduct, he loved his wife, artist's muse Jane, very deeply, despite her companionship with Dante Gabriel Rossetti, even coming to an arrangement with Rossetti for the shared lease of a home where Jane and Rosetti could conduct their love affair, very Henry and June (the married Anais Nin and Henry Miller had a relationship tolerated and financed by Nin's husband).
Yes, it was refreshing to read that his children reported having an idyllic childhood. I bet he was a wonderful father, bursting with imagination and encouraging the appreciation of nature.
Yes it’s a shame Jane fell for Rosetti but from the information in the gallery, sounds like on her part being from a poor background, the marriage was largely for financial security rather than love.
Hi Julie - you did spark off a burst of browsing and film downloading about the PRB, I have always liked Morris and lived in a house that was dressed in Morris and Co wallpapers, my wife was old before her time and for 30 somethings I think it was a lot pretentious, but I still love the patterns. As for their romance, well I think Morris took knightly and chivalric behaviour very seriously - not to mention some form of PRB Bro Code with Dante, and didn’t seem to think he (Morris) could make demands on Jane, however he was also work focused and some suggest that the price of his productivity was his tolerance for Jane’s affair, which indeed started before she met William, she was not financially at risk, although she came from poor origins and this was not a good time to be a woman without a husband, she stayed with Rossetti to his death, Morris was very wealthy throughout, so my reading is she was deeply attracted to and loved Dante, Morris knew this and didn’t force her to be a good wife as it would have made her unhappy. Nowadays, I’d scoff at his behaviour and many would regard him as a beta male in today’s parlance, but then, he was chivalric and believed in love and I think, he believed also that he should do nothing that would make the already broken (by the loss of his wife, probably by suicide) Rosetti less of an artist. What remarkable people.
Yes, in a way that’s true love - on his part. When you genuinely want the best for someone - even if it breaks your own heart - it’s the ultimate sacrifice for them, isn’t it? You truly put their happiness above your own.
Yes, absolutely. By the way I regret I earlier mis-read your comment that Jane’s interest in Dante was financial, of course it was not, but it must have influenced her decision to say yes to Morris.
Thought provoking as ever Julie. Your principle of simplicity resonates with me particularly. My prize possession is a 1979 motorcycle which I modified some years ago, making it even more simple. No kickstand switch, indicators, tachometer. Off went about 40kg of unnecessary parts. End result is a bike that’s more reliable and fun to ride. Same with possessions - less is more. They just weigh you down. Except books 😂
Excellent. I do love a motorbike.
Ooh that now makes you ‘Motorbike Mike’!
Yes, travelling light is a good philosophy both in actuality and mentality. I’ve mastered it with possessions these days, mentally I’m a work in progress.
This, my friend, was a GREAT read. Food for my soul. The useful is our old home filled with old treasures and art. When John and I met in our early 20's we both had antique furniture in our rooms purchased from adds. Maybe you and I are related in another space and time. What a fascinating person William Morris was! (Funny, no relation -- but there was a famous agency in Hollywood called William Morris). I certainly don't belong in this present world either. For over a month I have been placed in algorithm jail again, wishing to show more beauty and raw truth but alas nothing in this life is created without control from the money monsters.
I have a "stupid" wash machine and dryer that I wouldn't know how to live without. We had a moment of madness (in 2003) buying a smart set. The washer jumped across the room on spin leaving our clothes smelling like bad eggs. Bought a stupid set and never looked back. 22 years!!!!!! and I lovingly speak to them (lol) as a few dryer knob settings have lost their way.
Thank you for this perfect Sunday message. oxox
I adore vintage furniture. Sat here looking at my vintage wardrobe right now. My cottage is circa 1840 and has wooden beams on the roof which I adore.
We really have to grow a thick skin with the algorithm stuff, trust what’s meant for us will find us. Rather like the rest of life….
Take care, lovely x
P.S. Your cottage and furniture sounds dreamy 💫
Small but I try and make the most of it
Tried to respond to your comment via my actual Substack website -- but 3 tries and it shut my site down each time. Another new thing. This was just now. So back on the one finger typing app.
Yes, I am trusting. Albeit hard to publish for myself or Lighthouse and see numbers cut in half. I think they took my name out of things. For the first time I unpublished my May piece for Lighthouse and noticed Alexander appeared in the carousel today which is good because it's happening to him too. I only use my name when I write for Lighthouse. My problem, despite my faith, is I’ve had too many years of this as well as real life tossing out - so my human sensitive meter has left me tired.
Sending you much love. ox
Oh bless you. Yes Substack is full of glitches. I don’t get as much interaction on my posts anymore despite having more subscribers. I just tell myself they must be silent types 😂
Glad your visit was good and you enjoyed the scenery.l wonder what our lives would be like if we had an awareness of how we are all gifted and had people like William Morris for inspiration.lnstead of You, shall own nothing and Global warming from Greta Thunderpants.How did we regress to this state of insanity.Thanks Julie for your information.😊xxx.
Absolutely. Real role models, hey?
Yes, I had a lovely trip. London was just one part of it but I shall write more in due course. :)
Really resonated. Love William Morris designs and colour, am in the process of teaching myself Sashiko embroidery and lining a needle case, i know, very last century, with beautiful WM patterned fabric. To add to the list of doublespeak for worse, Vegan shoes/bag etc means plastic!! oh and that's better for the planet.
Oh thank you. I haven’t heard of Sashiko embroidery. Always great to learn a new skill! I remember when I taught myself to crochet a few years ago. Go you!
Yes a lot of vegan stuff is very bad for health too - ultra processed, although thankfully, not all. ❤️
You're quite correct. Built-in obsolescence, plus impossible to unscrew fasteners, means it is simpler and often cheaper to buy a replacement than repair the old model. This keeps the global economy going, not to mention those third world sweatshops where the new stuff is made.
Who's to blame? The architects of the Industrial Revolution? Adam Smith? Henry Ford?
Or all of us for putting up with it?
A great point.
This might be a duplicate, since the computer ate my comment just now. Anyhow, here ‘tis:-
I LOVE this. Been waiting on your travel tales, Julie and I agree with everything. The WEF advertise that ‘You will own nothing and be Happy’, cos they want us to forever be in this cycle of soul-less, inferior quality goods while they pocket our hard-earned cash. Speaking of which, I’m known locally as the Cash Woman – my fiver is worth a fiver no matter how many transactions its involved with over time – not so with an online fiver. And keeping it simple is the only way to go for me. Looking forward to your next tale, Julie!
Thank you Una. I think all these cyber attacks and systems going down have made people more aware of the dangers of doing everything online. That said, we are subtly (and not so subtly) pushed in certain directions. Supermarket checkouts are a prime example. The people wishing to use manned tills are made to walk to the far end of the store whilst those opting for self scan get the most convenient means of exit.
Agree with every word. It wasn't all that long ago that we made durable things that were beautiful. Morris epitomised this but you see it in many buildings of the nineteenth century and early twentieth, from ornate architecture to gorgeous ceramic tiles and so on. Now it's just slap it up and get it sold. Horrible. Thank you for highlighting this. Maybe one day we will return to beauty and quality before some of the important skills are lost.
Yes, it’s currently a disposable world that prizes economy over people, sadly. We are lacking products that not only last a long time but that we can repair easily too. This would be truly green instead of the pathetic faux green token gestures we have at the moment.
Absolutely. The obsession with maximising profit will continue to hold back human progress. Greed is at the root of it all, sadly. There is more to life than chasing more and more money - the reward of creating something beautiful, something that lasts, and making enough money to keep doing it.
I was trying to pick up a 'simple' click and collect yesterday. The only thing simple about it was me waving my phone around to get a signal. No luck. No code texted to me to show the staff any more. Walked into the store, picked the item off the shelf and bought it. That's simple.
Indeed. Some things feel like such hard work these days. I felt the same checking into a place was staying at the other day. The ‘self check in’ turned out to be way more difficult, time consuming and far less pleasant than an old school welcome at a guest house.
I just found some William Morris prints and stationary at the paper goods shop . I sent out a few posts last week and I feel very old world . 🌚
Excellent, Chris. Yes the gallery had lots of William Morris inspired goods for sale, everything from key rings to mugs to bags with his prints on.