An artist and designer closely associated with the later phase of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, who worked closely with William Morris on a wide range of decorative arts. He was also deeply involved in the rejuvenation of the tradition of stained glass art in Britain.

His ealy paintings show the heavy inspiration of Rossetti, but by the 1860s he was beginning to discover his own particular style, sometimes considered to be within the Aesthetic movement which emphasised the importance of art as an object of beauty engendering a sensual response rather than any story or moral implicit in the subject matter.