Women's Guild of Arts

The Women's Guild of Arts was founded in 1907 by Arts and Crafts artists May Morris and Mary Elizabeth Turner. The organisation offered woman-identified artists an alternative professional body to the Art Workers Guild, an artists' association founded in 1884 that excluded women and was based on the ideas of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement.[1][2][3]

The Women's Guild was established with May Morris as its First President and watercolourist and engraver Mary Annie Sloane as its Honorary Secretary. Other key initiators included Mabel Esplin, Agnes Garrett, Mary Lowndes, Marianne Stokes, Evelyn De Morgan, Georgie Gaskin, Mary J. Newill, Ethel Everett, and Letty Graham.[4] The Guild grew to include about 60 artists.

  1. ^ "The Art Workers' Guild | History". The Art Workers’ Guild. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  2. ^ Thomas, Zoe (June 2015). "'At Home with the Women's Guild of Arts: gender and professional identity in London studios, c. 1880-1925'". Women's History Review. 24 (6): 938–964. doi:10.1080/09612025.2015.1039348. S2CID 142796942.
  3. ^ Thomas, Zoe (12 July 2018). "Founding members of the Women's Guild of Arts". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. doi:10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.111253. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8.
  4. ^ "Women's Guild of Arts | Artist Biographies". www.artbiogs.co.uk. Retrieved 14 April 2023.