This talk explores the many achievements of Phoebe Anna Traquair (1852-1936), now recognised as a key figure in the Arts and Crafts movement. Born and educated in Ireland, she moved with her Scottish husband to Edinburgh where from the mid-1880s she was much involved in the city’s social art movement, painting murals in both tiny and vast buildings, and teaching design. Her remarkable embroideries, exquisitely illuminated manuscripts, finely tooled leather book covers and, not least, beautiful art enamels, reflect her interest in William Blake, the art of the Pre-Raphaelites and Italian Renaissance painting. The talk will include her various Glasgow connections in the 1890s and the 1920s.
Dr Elizabeth Cumming is a historian of Scottish art and design and an Honorary Professor in Art History at Edinburgh University. Her latest book on the artist was published by the National Galleries of Scotland in late 2022.
