Lily Yeats facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lily Yeats
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| Born | 25 August 1866 |
| Died | 5 January 1949 (aged 82) Dublin, Ireland
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| Nationality | Irish |
| Education | Dublin Metropolitan School of Art |
| Occupation | Embroiderer |
| Parent(s) |
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| Relatives | W. B. Yeats (brother) Jack Butler Yeats (brother) Elizabeth Yeats (sister) |
Susan Mary Yeats (born August 25, 1866 – died January 5, 1949), known as Lily Yeats, was a talented embroiderer. She was part of the Celtic Revival, a movement that celebrated Irish art and culture.
In 1908, Lily started the embroidery section of Cuala Industries. She worked there until it closed in 1931. Lily became well-known for her beautiful embroidered pictures.
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Growing Up and Learning New Skills
Lily Yeats was born in Enniscrone, County Sligo, Ireland, on August 25, 1866. Her parents were John Butler Yeats and Susan Pollexfen Yeats. She had three siblings: William Butler, Jack, and Elizabeth Yeats.
Lily was often sick as a child. Her mother would take the children to visit their grandparents in Sligo for holidays. Sometimes they stayed for months!
In 1874, Lily's family moved to London, England. Lily and her siblings were taught by a governess, Martha Jowitt. Later, she briefly attended Notting Hill school.
The Yeats family moved back to Ireland in 1881, settling in Howth, County Dublin. In 1883, Lily and her sister Elizabeth began studying at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art. They also took classes at the Royal Dublin Society.
Learning Embroidery from a Master
After moving back to London, Lily became ill and lived with relatives for a while. In 1888, she returned to her family home. During this time, her family often visited William Morris at his home, Kelmscott House.
William Morris was a famous artist and designer. Lily was given a chance to learn a special type of embroidery called art needlework from his daughter, May Morris. May ran the embroidery part of Morris & Co., a design company.
Lily studied at the Chiswick School of Art and worked for Morris & Co. until 1894. She had to leave due to poor health. She even worked as a governess in France, where she caught typhoid. She returned to London in 1896.
Starting Her Own Art Business
In 1900, Lily Yeats moved back to Dublin. She and her sister Elizabeth joined Evelyn Gleeson at a crafts studio called Dun Emer. Lily was in charge of the needlework section.
The Dun Emer studio was named after Emer, a famous hero's wife in Irish legends. It became a key place for the Irish Arts and Crafts Movement. This movement focused on making beautiful handmade items.
The studio taught young local women skills like painting, drawing, cooking, sewing, and the Irish language. They also learned crafts like embroidery, printing, and making rugs and tapestries. Lily's embroidery department created textiles for churches and homes.
Cuala Industries and Later Years
In 1904, the Dun Emer studio was split into two parts. In 1908, Lily and her sister Elizabeth started their own company called Cuala Industries. It had a small printing press, the Cuala Press, and an embroidery workshop.
William Butler Yeats's wife, George, helped Lily manage the embroidery side of Cuala. They made clothing and linens. Lily and her sister Elizabeth lived together for most of their adult lives, though they sometimes argued.
In 1923, Lily became very ill while on holiday. She recovered and returned to Cuala, but the embroidery department struggled to make a lot of money.
In 1931, Lily's health got worse. Doctors finally realized she had a problem with her thyroid. Because of her health and the financial struggles, the embroidery part of Cuala was closed. Lily wrote that the work had been a "very great strain."
Even after the workshop closed, Lily Yeats continued to sell her embroidered pictures. She passed away in 1949.
