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25-548: The Dun Emer Guild was the textile producing arm of Dun Emer Industries, which was founded in 1902 by Evelyn Gleeson , Elizabeth and her sister Lily Yeats with funding from Augustine Henry and a sum of money Gleeson inherited. The company was run out of Gleeson's home, Dun Emer in Dundrum . The house and administration of the company was overseen by Gleeson's widowed sister, Constance MacCormack. MacCormack and her three children, Kitty , Grace, and Edward lived with Gleeson after

50-491: A British citizen in 1871. Ludovici had a long and established career, often exhibiting at the Royal Society of British Artists , where he was at one point treasurer. Included in the portraits he painted were King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra . Ludovici's friend, the sculptor Jules Dalou presented him and his family with a terracotta bust of Ludovici in gratitude for their help after Dalou left Paris and stayed with

75-647: The Dun Emer Press . Evelyn Gleeson was born in Knutsford , Cheshire , on 15 May 1855. She was the daughter of an Irish doctor, Edward Moloney Gleeson. Her mother was Harriet (née Simpson), from Bolton , Lancashire. Edward had a practice in Knutsford, and whilst visiting Ireland he was struck by the unemployment and poverty, so much so he established the Athlone Woollen Mills in 1859 on

100-719: The Royal Dublin Society . The Guild exhibited at the 1904 St Louis World's Fair , in the United States as part of the Irish Industrial Exhibition. The Guild became noted for their hand woven carpets and tapestries which incorporated Celtic knotwork and interlace , such as the tapestry panel of A voyage to Tir-na-noge designed by Mary Galway Houston in 1903. By 1908, Gleeson's and the Yeats sisters' relationship had become strained, with

125-770: The advice of his brother-in-law, a textile manufacturer in Lancashire . While the Gleeson family moved to Athlone in 1863, Evelyn attended school in England where she trained to be a teacher and then studied portraiture in London at the Atelier Ludovici from 1890 to 1892. From this, Gleeson went on to study design under Alexander Millar who was a member of the Arts and Crafts movement and a follower of William Morris . He

150-506: The " Atelier Drölling" and was a contemporary of the well-known artist Jean-Jacques Henner . Ludovici moved to England, and living in Margate , began a career as a painter. Within two years he had established himself as a successful portrait painter and was able to return to Paris in 1850 to marry Caroline Grenier (1822–1893) and bring her back to England with him. He moved to Mornington Rd, London, where they had five children. He became

175-655: The 1919 banner for the Irish Women Workers’ Union and the carpet that was presented to Pope Pius XI in 1932, the year of the Eucharistic Congress. Kitty worked with her aunt on other Dun Emer commissions, such as the 1917 tapestries for the Honan Chapel in Cork and the gold vestments for St Patrick's church, San Francisco in 1923. Gleeson died 20 February 1944, at Dun Emer, with Kitty carrying on

200-723: The Arts and Crafts Society in 1910. In 1906 the Guild won a silver medal at the International Exhibition in Milan. By the late 1900s cooperation between the groups had turned to rivalry, resulting in the Yeats sisters leaving, taking their printing press to their home in Churchtown, Dublin . Gleeson wrote off the sisters' debt of £185 on the condition that they could not use the name Dun Emer. They established themselves under

225-674: The Guild after her death. The final home of Dun Emer was a shop on Harcourt Street, Dublin, which finally closed in 1964. Albert Ludovici, Sr. Albert Johann Ludovici (3 September 1820 – September 1894) was a German and British artist, known for exhibiting at the Royal Society of British Artists . Ludovici was born on 3 September 1820, in Zittau. He was the son of Henriette Amilie (née Wölher 1795–1826) and Johann August Ludovici, (1789–1872). After living in Chemnitz until 1843, he moved to Paris , where he studied at

250-624: The Ludovici family in London. Albert Ludovici died in Vevey, Switzerland in September 1894. Two of Albert's children became artists, his eldest son Albert Ludovici Jr., (1852–1932) and his second daughter Marguerite (Cathelin-Ludovici, 1856–1947). Albert Snr. was the Grandfather of Anthony M Ludovici, who although also a talented painter, chose writing as a career. This article about

275-437: The Yeats sisters however who complained about her bad temper and arrogance. This may have been the result of the financial burden of Dun Emer, although supplemented with grants, and she was anxious to pay off the loan to Augustine Henry. These tensions led to the Yeats sisters snubbing her, and making no mention of her in an interview for the magazine House Beautiful on Dun Emer. Gleeson's teacher Millar noted that this omission

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300-533: The Yeats sisters leaving Dun Emer with their private press, which they renamed the Cuala Press . Gleeson continued as the Dun Emer Guild designing and creating textiles. By this time her two nieces, Kitty and Grace, along with Henry's niece May Kerley , were all employed in the Guild, as well as bookbinder Norah Fitzpatrick, and Máire Nic Shiubhlaigh . Some of the most notable works from the Guild are

325-557: The death of MacCormack's husband c.  1902 . The Dun Emer studio and press were named after Emer , daughter of Forgall Monach, wife of the hero Cúchulainn in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology , a figure famous for her artistic skills. The Guild's workshops were located on the top floor of Dun Emer. Their products regularly won prizes at exhibitions run by the Irish Industries Association and

350-419: The form of a loan of £500. She discussed these plans with the Yeats sisters, Elizabeth and Lily , who although they were talented craftswomen with a network of influential contacts, they could not contribute any money to the venture. Gleeson also consulted with W. B. Yeats , Jack Butler Yeats , and her cousin T. P. Gill . In the summer of 1902, Gleeson found a suitable house in Dundrum, Dublin . The house

375-633: The name of the Cuala Industries, which was composed of an embroidery workshop and the Cuala Press . Dun Emer continued to thrive, with Gleeson working on designs with her niece Katherine (Kitty) MacCormack and Augustine Henry's niece May Kerley. In 1910 Gleeson became one of the founding members of the Guild of Irish Art Workers, becoming a master in 1917. The workshops eventually moved from Dundrum to Hardwicke Street, Dublin in 1912. Gleeson's rugs, tapestries and embroideries took inspiration from Early Christian interlace and zoomorphic design, with

400-456: The patronage of the Church remaining their main source of income. Gleeson also employed bookbinder Norah Fitzpatrick, and Máire Nic Shiubhlaigh . Her widowed sister, Constance MacCormack lived with her at Dun Emer, along with her children Grace, Kitty, and Edward. The household was managed by Constance, and Grace and Kitty worked with their aunt from a young age. Amongst Gleeson's notable works are

425-558: The romantic Irish revival in art and literature. She was a member of the suffrage movement and served as chairwoman of the London women's club, the Pioneer Club . In 1900 the opportunity arose to contribute to the Irish revival and suffrage for Irish women. On the advice of her friend Augustine Henry , Gleeson moved away from London smog to Ireland to improve her health, and offered her the finances to establish her own craft centre in

450-476: The spirit and tradition of the country." The workshop had 30 women and girls in employment by 1905. A large proportion of their orders was to the Catholic Church, with Loughrea cathedral commissioning 24 embroidered banners featuring Irish saints in 1902 to 1903. Other objects created including vestments, dresses, drapes, and cushions, featuring elements of Celtic design. The group's first published book

475-642: The tapestries for the Honan Chapel , Cork in 1917, the vestments for St Patrick's church, San Francisco in 1923, and a carpet presented to Pope Pius XI in 1931. The carpet was commissioned in an effort by Ireland's ambassador to the Vatican, Charles Bewley , to secure Ireland as the host of the 1932 International Eucharistic Congress . As "The Pope's Carpet" it was exhibited in Clerys from 19 to 30 January 1931. A dress designed by MacCormack for Clare Kennedy,

500-551: The wife of Hugh Kennedy , is on display as part of the exhibition The Way We Wore in the National Museum of Ireland at Collins Barracks. After Gleeson's death in 1944, MacCormack continued to run Dun Emer Guild until its store on Harcourt Street closed c.  1964 . Evelyn Gleeson Evelyn Gleeson (15 May 1855 – 20 February 1944) was an English embroidery , carpet , and tapestry designer , who along with Elizabeth and Lily Yeats established

525-423: Was W. B. Yeats' 1903 In the seven woods , covered in Irish linen. Gleeson often acted as an adjudicator at various craft competitions around Ireland. At the 1904 Feis na nGleann she praised the entries' workmanship but noted the lack of design teaching. On this subject she gave lectures and attempted to elevate the status of craftwork, from household crafts to larger scale industry. Tensions began to run high with

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550-468: Was akin to "Hamlet without the prince". Ultimately Dun Emer was split in 1904 into Dun Emer Guild Ltd under Gleeson, and Dun Emer Industries Ltd under the Yeatses. The two groups continued to work, exhibiting separately at the Royal Dublin Society and other craft competitions. The National Museum of Ireland commissioned a copy of a Flemish tapestry in 1907, the resulting tapestry being exhibited at

575-521: Was called Runnymede, which was renamed Dun Emer in honour of the wife of Cú Chulainn , Emer , who had legendary craft skills. A printing press was installed in November 1902, with three craft industries quickly established. Lily ran the embroidery section, as she had studied with May Morris . Elizabeth led the printing section, drawing on her experience with the Women's Printing Society in London. Gleeson

600-428: Was charged with the weaving and tapestry and managed the studios overall finances. W. B. Yeats was the group's literary advisor, which caused friction at times. The studio employed and trained local girls, with the emphasis on using high quality Irish materials to create beautiful, luxury, lasting originally designed objects. Their 1903 manifesto stated: "Everything as far as possible is Irish… The designs are also of

625-619: Was struck by Gleeson's aptitude for colour-blending, and at this time a number of her designs were purchased by Templeton Carpets of Glasgow , as Millar was their artistic director. Gleeson was interested in Irish affairs, through her membership of the Gaelic League and the Irish Literary Society . She was also acquainted with the Yeats family and others in the Irish artistic circle in London, drawing inspiration from

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