Visitors to the Old Library at Trinity College Dublin can now enjoy a carefully curated collection of prints, illustrations, and other textile pieces created by Cuala Press Industries during the early 20th century.
Access to the exhibition is included in a ticket to the Book of Kells Experience and it runs until 26 September 2024.
Curated by Trinity professor Dr Angela Griffith, and entitled ‘The Yeats Sisters & Irish Design: Making, Identities & Legacies’, this inspiring exhibition explores women’s contributions to Irish art and culture.
Elizabeth and Susan ‘Lily’ Yeats were nationally and internationally recognised as leading figures in the Arts and Crafts movement in the early 20th century, but their contribution has perhaps been overshadowed by those of their brothers, painter Jack Yeats and WB Yeats, the poet and Noble Laureate.
Cuala Press was run entirely by women and focused on publishing new works rather than established classics. It produced beautiful books and other printed materials, often featuring illustrations and designs that reflected the Arts and Crafts movement.
Dedicated to the pioneering works of art completed under the tutelage of the Yeats sisters, this exhibition is sure to be cause for great interest for anyone interested in learning about women’s contributions to Irish art and culture.
What’s on display in the Cuala Press exhibition?
Mary Cottenham Yeats, The Rainbow, Dublin, 1910s, hand coloured photoengraving, Cuala Press
Beatrice Moss Campbell, Prayer for a Little Child, 1906, Hand-coloured photoengraved print, Cuala Press
Elizabeth Yeats and assistants, the print room, Dun Emer Industries, 1905
Carpet Weavers, Dun Emer Industries, 1902
On display in Trinity’s Old Library are photographs and other archival material giving a flavour of the working lives of the Cuala women as well as examples of the prints and needlecraft produced by the business.
Common attributes in the work include vivid uses of colour, intricate line work and Irish iconography (an image or symbol which is used to denote a particular meaning), which have been crafted with a deeply rooted sense of national identity and pride of place.
This is especially true of Kathleen Verschoyle’s Saint Brigid from the 1920s, which depicts a scene of the aforementioned Irish patron saint clutching a lamb in her arms while two others stand eagerly below her seeking shelter from the bright, open landscape composition.
Kathleen Verschoyle, Saint Brigid, c. 1920s, Cuala Press, Dublin, hand coloured photoengraved print.
Visitors to the immersive Book of Kells Experience will also get the opportunity to see Saint Brigid come to life on large scale screens in the Pavilion building.
Though images have been created of this particular figure for a number of centuries, Brigid has in recent years become a far more prominent aspect of Ireland’s cultural individuality, coming to represent the independence, creativity and strength of Irish women.
It is easy to see why this figure can be seen time and time again in the works of the Cuala Press members who, like Brigid, demonstrated a determination and sense of boldness in their lives and crafts. This is especially true when considering the period in which they were most active, during the first few decades of the twentieth century.
While certainly being a time of highly dramatic political change due to Ireland’s strive for independence, it was as well a powerful era in which the first wave of feminism bloomed into what it is today.
Though for many activists, the fight for equality was put on hold in order to keep focus on Irish independence, the Cuala Press Industries provided a space for women to develop their trade and earn useful skills which supported their own liberated lives.
How to access Cuala Press prints online
Dr. Angela Griffith, holding ‘O’Connell Street’, a hand coloured photoengraved Cuala Press print from the 1920s.
“Over the last number of years, the Cuala Press Project has worked to raise the profile of the Yeats sisters and the artists they collaborated with”, Dr Angela Griffith
Not only can these works of art be viewed in person in the world renowned Old Library, but those especially eager may access a wide variety of pieces online thanks to the vast digitalisation of the collection.
These high quality scanned images provide useful resources for anyone hoping to research this innovative period of Irish art, or simply to appreciate the celebrated anthology.
With hundreds of pages filled with unique illustrations and prints to choose from, easily accessible online via Trinity College’s own digital collection website, interest in the collection will surely continue to grow.
Supported by the Schooner Foundation and in partnership with the Library of Trinity College Dublin’s, the Department of History of Art and Architecture, and the Trinity Centre for the Book, the Cuala Press Project was established to conserve, research, and provide public access to its Cuala holdings.
By undergoing the long process of digitising the collection, the Cuala Press Project team are ensuring that these works of art are not forgotten in time and can be appreciated, beloved, and studied for decades to come by academics and enthusiasts alike.
Explore Cuala Press Project videos
Explore Cuala Press Project videos
Plan your visit today
The Cuala Press archive on display at the Old Library, image by Shauna Brennan, Library Guard
The Old Library is currently undergoing a landmark conservation project, to protect its collections for future generations. As a result, the Long Room shelves are empty, providing a unique backdrop for the Cuala Press exhibition.
Access to the Cuala Press exhibition is included in a visit to the Book of Kells Experience, which includes viewing the Book of Kells, Gaia in the Old Library and learning about the Old Library Redevelopment Project.
This is a unique chance to see first-hand how archivists, historians, librarians, and other experts are working to enhance Trinity College’s centuries-old collections.
