The Art Workers' Guild is an organisation established in 1884 by a group of British painters, sculptors, architects, and designers associated with the ideas of

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was an English textile designer, poet, artist, writer, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement. He was a major contributor to the revival of traditiona ...

and the

Arts and Crafts movement The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and America. Initiat ...

. The guild promoted the 'unity of all the arts', denying the distinction between fine and applied art. It opposed the professionalisation of architecture – which was promoted by the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

at this time – in the belief that this would inhibit design. In his 1998 book, ''Introduction to Victorian Style'', University of Brighton's David Crowley stated the guild was "the conscientious core of the Arts and Crafts Movement".

History

The guild was not the first organisation to promote the unity of the arts. Two organisations, the Fifteen and St George's Art Society had existed previously, and the guild's founders came from the St George's Art Society. They were five young architects from

Norman Shaw Richard Norman Shaw RA (7 May 1831 – 17 November 1912), also known as Norman Shaw, was a British architect who worked from the 1870s to the 1900s, known for his country houses and for commercial buildings. He is considered to be among the g ...

's office: W. R. Lethaby, Edward Prior, Ernest Newton, Mervyn Macartney and Gerald C. Horsley, plus metal worker W. A. S. Benson, designer Heywood Sumner, painter C. H. H. Macartney, sculptors

Hamo Thornycroft Sir William Hamo Thornycroft (9 March 185018 December 1925) was an English sculptor, responsible for some of London's best-known statues, including the controversial statue of Oliver Cromwell outside the Palace of Westminster. He was a keen stu ...

and Edward Onslow Ford, and the architect John Belcher. The motive for the guild's creation was the summer exhibition in 1883 at the

Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

, where the "mother of arts" were snubbed to two side walls in one gallery. Edward Prior wrote in November 1883, Others were soon invited to join, including Fifteen members

Lewis Foreman Day Lewis Foreman Day (29 January 1845 – 18 April 1910) was a British decorative artist and industrial designer and an important figure in the Arts and Crafts movement. Biography Day was born at Peckham Rye, south London, on 29 January 1845. His ...

George Blackall Simonds George Blackall Simonds (6 October 1843 – 16 December 1929) was an English sculptor and a director of H & G Simonds Brewery in Reading, Berkshire. Biography George was the second son of George Simonds Senior, of Reading, director of H & G ...

and J. D. Sedding, as well as architects Somers Clarke,

John Thomas Micklethwaite John Thomas Micklethwaite (3 May 1843 – 28 October 1906) was an English architect and archaeologist. He had a long association with Westminster Abbey, and was noted for his criticisms of the current practices of church restoration. Biography He w ...

, W. C. Marshall,

Basil Champneys Basil Champneys (17 September 1842 – 5 April 1935) was an English architect and author whose most notable buildings include Manchester's John Rylands Library, Somerville College Library (Oxford), Newnham College, Cambridge, Lady Margaret Ha ...

; painters Herbert Gustave Schmalz, Alfred Parsons,

John McLure Hamilton John McLure Hamilton (January 31, 1853William R. Symonds and etcher

Theodore Blake Wirgman Theodore Blake Wirgman (29 April 1848 – 16 January 1925) was a British painter and etcher who moved to London, studied at the Royal Academy Schools, became a painter of history and genre subjects, and worked as a portrait artist for ''Th ...

. The first meeting took place on 18 January 1884 at Charing Cross Hotel with Belcher as chair, and after some debate agreed they would invite others "for promoting greater intercourse among the Arts". Several names were proposed, including Guild of Art by Benson, Guild of Associated Arts, Guild of Art Workers, The Art Workers and the Society of Art Workers. Prior combined the name ideas and put forward the Art Workers' Guild and wrote the Guilds prospectus. The name and prospectus was agreed and the guild was formally created on 11 March and by its first formal annual meeting on 5 December 1884 it had grown to 56 members. The guild was based on the medieval trade guilds, with members called Brothers and its head called Master. Its first master was the sculptor, George Blackall Simonds. In 1885,

Walter Crane Walter Crane (15 August 184514 March 1915) was an English artist and book illustrator. He is considered to be the most influential, and among the most prolific, children's book creators of his generation and, along with Randolph Caldecott and Ka ...

reiterated the guild's worries to the

Fabian Society The Fabian Society () is a History of the socialist movement in the United Kingdom, British socialist organisation whose purpose is to advance the principles of social democracy and democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist effort in ...

, The guild organised talks, lectures, demonstrations and meetings to bring unity of the arts to its members including guest speakers such as

Lucien Pissarro Lucien Pissarro (20 February 1863 – 10 July 1944) was a French landscape painter, printmaker, wood engraver, designer, and printer of fine books. His landscape paintings employ techniques of Impressionism and Neo-Impressionism, but he also ...

in 1891. Sir

Edwin Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memorials ...

was first invited as a guest in 1892 and recalled: but he joined later and admired the freedom to argue passionately and: By 1895 the guild had 195 members and included such luminaries as

and

Thomas Graham Jackson Sir Thomas Graham Jackson, 1st Baronet (21 December 1835 – 7 November 1924) was one of the most distinguished British architects of his generation. He is best remembered for his work at Oxford, including the Oxford Military College at Co ...

. At that year's annual general meeting, the elected Master Heywood Sumner declared to the members: This comment was confirmed in 1900 when the government recruited guild members Thomas Graham Jackson,

William Blake Richmond Sir William Blake Richmond (29 November 184211 February 1921) was a British painter, sculptor and a designer of stained glass and mosaic. He is best known for his portrait work and decorative mosaics in St Paul's Cathedral in London. Richmon ...

, Edward Onslow Ford, and Walter Crane to the Council for Advice on Art, and they reorganised the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public university, public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, London, White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design uni ...

in line with Art Workers' Guild ideals. Under Graham Jacksons' time as Master, the Guildsmen were looking at the purpose of the guild. Many, including Morris wanted the guild to be a more active force and put forward a Councillor to the

London County Council The London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today ...

to advise on the protection of historical buildings and advocate craftsmanship. However Graham Jackson was against politics and declared the guild should not be: Graham Jackson decided training the next generation of artists was more important and created the Art Student Guild, which would go onto become the Junior Guild. The Junior Guild was not a great success and by 1928 was confirmed by members that it had outlived its purpose. However, Masters H. M. Fletcher and Basil Oliver had come through the junior guild. In 1902, on retiring from the Master's position,

George Frampton Sir George James Frampton, (18 June 1860 – 21 May 1928) was a British sculptor. He was a leading member of the New Sculpture movement in his early career when he created sculptures with elements of Art Nouveau and Symbolism, often combinin ...

stressed that only properly qualified candidates should be elected to the guild, and in 1905 the membership election system was amended. By this time the membership had grown to 235. Frampton had also recommended that the guild set up a benevolent fund for hard up members, which became known as the Guild Chest. However Frampton caused controversy in 1915, calling for Karl Krall, a German-born member, to have his membership revoked due to his nationality during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The guild voted by a one-vote majority to allow Krall to keep his membership, so Frampton resigned. Krall was so upset by the debates that led to the vote that he also resigned and asked that he never be contacted by the guild again. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the guild's income dropped considerably, however they remained solvent under the "zealous guardianship of the funds" of honorary treasurer

Laurence Arthur Turner Laurence Arthur Turner FSA (9 July 1864 – 4 October 1957) was an English artisan and master craftsman. Career The brother of the architect Thackery Turner, was a leading figure in woodcarving and ornate stonemasonry, and undertook many presti ...

. In 1945, the War Memorial Advisory Committee asked the guild for its ideas on war memorials, to which the guild responded by deploring mass-produced war memorials and advising on well designed carved inscriptions on the walls of the church cut by individual craftsmen. The Art Workers Guild gave rise to many offshoots, including the Birmingham, Liverpool, the Northern Art Workers' Guild in Manchester, the Edinburgh Art Workers' Guild and the Junior Art Workers' Guild but the biggest was the

Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society The arts or creative arts are a vast range of human practices involving creative expression, storytelling, and cultural participation. The arts encompass diverse and plural modes of thought, deeds, and existence in an extensive range of me ...

. There was even a guild set up in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. The guild began as a male-only organisation, leading May Morris to start the Women’s Guild of Arts in 1907 as an alternative for women. In 1914 the women's guild was allowed to use the meeting hall at Queens Square, but they were not allowed to have their roll call on the walls. There was great discussion between members about letting in women with Hamilton T. Smith writing to Arthur Llewellyn Smith in 1958 stated: In the 1959 Annual Report, it stated that it was "discussed at length but not put to the vote, it being felt that so revolutionary a proposal needed further careful discussion". Further discussions occurred over the next few years, and in 1962 past master Brian Thomas asked: It was not until 1964 that the brothers, at a special meeting, agreed to admit women to the guild. The first women to join was the wood engraver

Joan Hassall Joan Hassall (3 March 1906 – 6 March 1988) was an English wood engraver and book illustrator. Her subject matter ranged from natural history through poetry to illustrations for English literary classics. In 1972 she was elected the first ...

who became the first female Master in 1972. In 1949, the members of the Junior Art Workers' Guild were invited to join the guild after their organisation closed down. In 1985, a centenary exhibition was held at the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery. In a review of the exhibition by Colin Amery in ''

The Burlington Magazine ''The Burlington Magazine'' is a monthly publication that covers the fine and decorative arts of all periods. Established in 1903, it is the longest running art journal in the English language. It has been published by a charitable organisation s ...

'', Amery stated that the exhibition showed "the current Guildsmen work did not have the weight and quality to carry hope of a new spring".

The guild's home

The guild held its meetings initially in rented space. Between 1884 and 1888, it used the Century Club's rooms at 6 Pall Mall Place in

Pall Mall, London Pall Mall is a street in the St James's area of the City of Westminster, Central London. It connects St James's Street to Trafalgar Square and is a section of the regional A4 road (England), A4 road. The street's name is derived f ...

, from 1888 to 1894 it used

Barnard's Inn Barnard's Inn is a former Inns of Chancery, Inn of Chancery in Holborn, London. It is now the home of Gresham College, an institution of higher learning established in 1597 that hosts public lectures. Over the centuries, it has served as a sch ...

Holborn Holborn ( or ), an area in central London, covers the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Camden and a part (St Andrew Holborn (parish), St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars) of the Wards of the City of London, Ward of Farringdon Without i ...

and then between 1894 and 1914 they used

Clifford's Inn Clifford's Inn is the name of both a former Inn of Chancery in London and a present mansion block on the same site. It is located between Fetter Lane and Clifford's Inn Passage (which runs between Fleet Street and Chancery Lane) in the City of ...

. In 1914, the lease on Clifford's Inn was to end and the organisation was looking for a new home. The

Central School of Art and Design The Central School of Art and Design was a school of fine and applied arts in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1896 by the London County Council as the Central School of Arts and Crafts. ...

was offered as temporary accommodation by

, with negotiations being held by F. V. Burridge, the college's principal.Overview: Central School of Arts and Crafts
Oxford Reference. Accessed July 2013. However, the architects

Arnold Dunbar Smith Arnold Dunbar Smith (2 December 18667 December 1933) was an English architect who in 1897 formed Smith & Brewer (18971949) with Cecil Claude Brewer (18711918) who were responsible for the design of the Mary Ward House in London (1899) and the ...

and Cecil Claude Brewer had an office in the front of the early Georgian house at 6 Queen Square, Bloomsbury and, when they heard that the freehold was for sale, encouraged the guild to buy it. The back part of the building was reconstructed as a meeting hall, designed by Francis William Troup and inaugurated on 22 April 1914. At the opening, Master Harold Speed said to his fellow Brothers that he knew they would miss, but encouraged them to enjoy The hall was furnished with rush-seated chairs made in Herefordshire by Philip Clissett and his grandsons between 1888 and 1914, and afterwards copied by Ernest Gimson and his successors. The Master sits in a seat designed by Lethaby and a table by Benson. The names of all members up to the year 2000 are painted on a frieze around the walls of the Hall. The list of names now continues in the front room known as the ‘Master’s Room’. In 2017 the building was modernised under the direction of Simon Hurst, the honorary architect of the guild. The building contains portraits of every Master since 1884. The guild rents space to the British Society of Master Glass Painters at Queen Square. The top two floors are rented as an apartment to designers Ben Pentreath and Charlie McCormick.

Recent history and notable members

The guild is today a society of artists, craftsmen and designers with a common interest in the interaction, development and distribution of creative skills. Its 350 members work at the highest levels of excellence in their professions, representing over 60 creative disciplines. Their main charitable aim is to support the visual arts and crafts in any way that may be beneficial to the community. The guild continues to programme lectures and workshops for its members to promote the exchange of knowledge among art workers of all disciplines. Current notable members include artist Chila Kumari Burman, Jane Cox, a Fellow of the

Craft Potters Association The Craft Potters Association (CPA) is an association of potters formed in 1958 in London. It has two wholly owned operating companies: Craftsmen Potters Trading Company Ltd and Ceramic Review Publishing Ltd. It owns a shop and gallery, the Con ...

and Chair of the Outreach Committee of the Art Workers Guild (who run projects across various institutions such as the V&A,

Courtauld Institute The Courtauld Institute of Art (), commonly referred to as The Courtauld, is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art and conservation. The art collection is known particularly for ...

Watts Gallery Watts Gallery – Artists' Village is an art gallery in the village of Compton, near Guildford in Surrey. It is dedicated to the work of the Victorian-era painter and sculptor George Frederic Watts. The gallery has been Grade II* listed on t ...

and

Imperial College London Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a Public university, public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a Al ...

) and Fleur Oates, a lacemaker and embroiderer who is the artist in residence at Imperial College's vascular surgery department. The guild was visited by

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

and Camilla, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall in 2015 as part of the London Craft Week. In 2018, the guild staged the exhibition Salon des Refusés, 30 pieces of work by RIBA’s Traditional Architecture Group that had been rejected by the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

's Piers Gough architecture room. In 2023, the guild put forward designs from eight of its Brothers to create rough designs for King Charles coronation invitations. Andrew Jamieson was chosen and his floral design was printed on recycled card.

Past Masters of the guild

References

External links