In January 1853 Burne-Jones went up to Exeter College, Oxford. His early life may have had its hardships and depri- vations, but from now on he was to enjoy some extraordinary strokes of luck for which he can only be envied. The first of these was to meet William Morris (1834- 1896; fig. 43), a fel- low freshman at the same college, and in him discover the per- fect friend at the perfect moment, someone totally committed to the same ideals who would give him a lifetime of intellec- tual and moral support. Their backgrounds were very differ- ent, Morris coming from a large and well-to-do family living on the edge of Epping Forest. Both, however, were born romantics with a passion for the Middle Ages, strongly drawn to Tractarianism, and destined for the Church; and within a fortnight they were inseparable. They had little use for Exeter men, but they found congenial companions among a group of Burne-Jones's school friends who had gone on to Pembroke College, where Dr. Francis Jeune, Lee's predecessor at King Edward's, was master. This set were all keen students of mod- ern literature; their great hero was Tennyson.
This photogravure is taken from an original photograph from c.1853 showing William Morris age 23. The photogravure was used as the frontispiece plate in 'The Collected Works of William Morris: Scenes from the Fall of Troy and other poems and fragments,' Volume XXIV, Longmans Green & Co, 1915.