New Exhibition Focuses on the Women of the Arts and Craft Movement
'Making Her Mark' is being held at Emery Walker's House
Bust of May Morris by Jo Davidson in bedroom of Emery Walker's House. Picture: Lucinda MacPherson
May 19, 2025
A new exhibition launching in June at Emery Walker’s House is to focus on the role of women in the development of the Arts and Crafts Movement.
This movement emerged in the late 19th century as a reaction to the dehumanising effects of industrialisation with a call to return to the values of craftsmanship, beauty, and integrity in design.
It was a radical movement in its time, aiming to redefine not only art and architecture but also social structure. Thus far its story has largely been told through the lives and works of its male pioneers particularly, William Morris. This exhibition focuses on the lesser-known women who made contributions artistically, and who also worked to claim professional status in a cultural world that often excluded them.
Most notable is William’s daughter, May Morris, whose work in embroidery, pattern and jewellery design contributed to the success of Morris & Co. Louise Powell and Phoebe Stabler combined commercial success with artistic ambition, producing widely exhibited ceramic works in partnership with major companies. Katharine Adams and Ethel Sandell, meanwhile, made their names in the worlds of bookbinding and manuscript illumination, collaborating with leading printers and collectors of their day. Mary Sloane, a painter and printmaker, exhibited internationally and helped push the boundaries of etching as an expressive medium.
What links these artists is their membership of the Women’s Guild of Arts, founded in 1907 as a direct response to the exclusion of women from the male-dominated Art Workers’ Guild. The Guild aim to offer more than just a platform and created a supportive community, with lectures, exhibitions, and studio visits. The documents preserved in its archives suggest an active and highly organised body, with rigorous membership standards and a clear sense of purpose.
Personal connections also shaped the careers of these women. In some cases—such as May Morris, Powell, and Stabler—family collaboration was key. In others, friendships provided vital networks of support, whether through sharing studio space, exhibiting together, or offering mentorship.
Silk cushion designed by May Morris and embroidered by Dorothy Walker. Picture: Lucinda MacPherson
Many of the works in this exhibition entered the collection at Emery Walker’s House not via official channels, but as personal gifts—tokens of friendship for Emery and Dorothy Walker.
In the exhibition, each woman is described using the name and title by which she was identified in the records of the Women’s Guild of Arts. The term "women art workers" is used throughout to avoid drawing false distinctions between fine and applied art.
Beginning on 5 June and running until 29 November, you can access ‘Making Her Mark’ at Hammersmith Terrace by pre-booking a guided tour on Thursdays and Saturdays.
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |