Illustration: Ann Macbeth. Embroidered table centre, 1910.
Ann Macbeth and Glasgow were at the heart of what at the time was often referred to as the new needlework. Why this late nineteenth and early twentieth century phase of the long and widespread history of embroidery was referred to as new was the fact that a whole range of designers in one specific time period were emphasising the contemporary over the traditions of the craft.
Glasgow with its progressive and dynamic art school was one of the major hubs of the Arts & Crafts movement during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Embroidery was a particularly strong craft in the region and its unadulterated dependence on the contemporary world, while out of character for an often traditionally based craft, breathed new life and a whole new skills base into the craft that not only reinvigorated Scottish embroidery, but was to spread its influence across both England and the larger Europe.
Illustration: Ann Macbeth. Embroidery design, 1911.
One of the fundamental aspects of this new embroidery was the active discouragement on all levels of ability and age group, from both young girl to adult, of any form of copying or imitation of past styles and traditions. This tenet, set up largely by the new direction taken by the Glasgow School of Art and its new head Francis Newbery, was accepted and enthusiastically promoted by a whole range of new and youthful staff employed by Newbery, many of whom had originally been students of the School. One such was Ann Macbeth.
Macbeth was clearly inspired to not only promulgate the new theories of the Glasgow School of Art, but also to disseminate those theories across the city. Through a series of extra classes and connection with a whole network of Arts & Crafts organizations, groups and independent studios throughout Glasgow, the decorative arts took on a truly dynamic and contemporary approach that was somewhat outside the usual parameters of a traditionally cautious British attitude to the arts. Glasgow soon caught the attention of the media across the rest of the UK, Europe and North America.
Illustration: Ann Macbeth. Embroidery design, 1911.
Macbeth was, and indeed saw herself as, a creative artist rather than a traditional craft maker. This was definitely the strong point of her career that led her work in a direct pathway towards decoration and pattern work that was based on the strength of her individual creativity rather than a dependence on the traditions of the decorative past. What Macbeth did hold in common with many of her fellow artists and designers in Glasgow and in the UK in general, was her strong belief in the importance of nature within decoration. In that respect she was firmly allied to the Arts & Crafts movement and indeed she felt that her early work at least, was a continuation from that of the medieval ornamentalists, rather than that of the traditions of the Renaissance and Classical revivals in Europe.
Illustration: Ann Macbeth. Embroidery design, 1911.
Macbeth's designs often decorated everyday objects within a domestic environment. She had an interest in pursuing decoration that would compliment, but not interfere or overpower the practical necessities of the piece. In other words, much of her decorative output was fully tied into the practical awareness that she had for both her own work and that of contemporary decoration and ornamentation in general.
Her design work was often deceptively simple, clear and defined, with strong but obvious demarcated colour schemes that added to the overall practical and functional feel of every piece. Her work was widely admired for its honesty and creative integrity and was therefore regularly featured in such influential magazines as The Studio. All of the images featured in this article are derived from The Studio during the first few years of the twentieth century when Macbeth's career was probably at its most influential.
Illustration: Ann Macbeth. Embroidered cushion cover, 1906.
Educational Needlecraft (1911)
GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART EMBROIDERY, 1894-1920.
The unbroken thread: A century of embroidery & weaving at Glasgow School of Art
The Glasgow Style: Artists in the Decorative Arts, Circa 1900 (Schiffer Book with Values)
Glasgow Girls: Women in Art and Design 1880-1920
The Glasgow Style, 1890-1920
Glasgow Style
Francis Newbery and the Glasgow Style
Glasgow 1900: Art and Design
Embroidered and laced leather work
Movements of Modernity: The Case of Glasgow and Art Nouveau
