Emery Walker’s House is launching a new membership scheme and has arranged a series of monthly, online, interactive talks to keep you entertained and informed throughout the new year.
So
why not resolve to learn more about your local art and history this January, grab
your diaries and make a note of these Wednesday evening treats. Plus there’s a new
membership scheme to look forward to events further ahead.
26 January at 6pm – Emery
Walker’s Final Achievement; the remarkable story of TE Lawrence’s translation
of The Odyssey, given by Helen Elletson
Although more famous for his role in the Arab revolt, Lawrence
was a gifted writer and translator, and was a close friend of the Walkers.
Through the vision of the great American type designer Bruce Rogers, the
expertise of Emery Walker, and the determination of TE Lawrence, The Odyssey
became a masterpiece of fine printing and a fitting tribute to the end of
Walker’s remarkable career.
Helen Elletson is the Research Curator and Accreditation Officer
at Emery Walker’s House, and Curator of Research and Development at the William
Morris Society
23 February at 6pm - Dun Emer &
Cuala: A Private Press Spotlight, given by Mallory Horrill
In the second half of the 19th century, the Arts and Crafts Movement set out to maintain traditional skills and workmanship threatened by the Industrial Revolution.
In the case of print, increased demand for cheaper books
led to declining standards and inferior materials. To counter this, small
private presses were set up, producing books to a high standard and celebrating
them as works of art. This talk will explore the Dun Emer Press (later known as
the Cuala Press) a lesser-known press within the private press
movement. Dun Emer Press was part of the Dun Emer Industries, a women’s
craft co-operative set up by Eileen Gleeson together with Elizabeth and Lily
Yeats (sisters of W.B. Yeats) to provide an education and teach skills
that would lead to employment for Irish girls. The press was entirely
female-run and played a key role in the Celtic revival. The talk will
reflect upon the role of women in printing as well as Emery Walker’s influence
and involvement in the press.
Mallory Horrill is Curator at Emery Walker’s House.
23 March at 6pm Phillip James de Loutherbourg: an Early Resident of Hammersmith Terrace, given by Hugh Belsey
In the middle of the 18th century London’s theatre was
aggressively competitive and the actor manager David Garrick invited de
Loutherbourg to leave his native France in order to transform the stage sets at
Covent Garden Theatre. The artist’s move to Britain was a great success and he
was elected a member of the Royal Academy in 1781 where he exhibited rural
landscape paintings. In the same year his work as a theatrical designer enabled
him to display a precursor of the cinema, a spectacular mechanical theatre
called the Edophusikon. Later he was influenced by the Italian trickster, Count
Alessandro di Cagliostro, who taught him about the occult and faith healing. He
is recorded as living in 7 and 8 Hammersmith Terrace between 1795 and 1799 and
later in life turned to painting again and produced a number of huge canvases
of naval battles before his death in 1812.
Hugh Belsey is Chairman of the Emery Walker Trust and an
acknowledged expert in 18th century British Art. He has specialised in the work
of Thomas Gainsborough and his catalogue raisonné of the artist’s paintings was
awarded the William M. B. Berger Prize for British Art History in 2020.
27 April at 6pm - Furniture and
the Arts and Crafts home, given by Max Donnelly
Furniture defined the character of Arts and Crafts interiors.
Drawing largely on examples from the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collection,
Max Donnelly will consider the philosophies that motivated designers, and the
variety of contexts in which furniture was produced, from designer-makers to
established cabinet making firms. He will also look at how furniture was
marketed and retailed, and some of the ways it was used and presented in homes
at the turn of the twentieth century.
Max Donnelly FSA is the Curator of 19th Century Furniture
and Woodwork at the Victoria and Albert Museum and a trustee of Emery Walker’s
House.
These live, interactive talks are part of
a programme of monthly events via Zoom organised by Emery Walker’s House Trust.
Entry is by donation. Please prebook via Emerywalker.org.uk.
Membership Scheme Launched