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Fig. 4. Lily Yeats in Greenhouse at Cuala.
Fig. 3. Mary CottenhamYeats (1863-1947)
“O,Wind, O Mighty MelancholyWind”
(Illustration of John Todhunters verse)
Hand coloured Cuala print
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In 1883 theYeats family moved from Howth toTerenure, and that year both Lily and Lolly Yeats entered
the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art. Lily took embroidery lessons from May Morris (1862-1938),
daughter of William Morris (1834—96), a prime mover in the English arts and crafts movements. After
six years, she began exhibiting her own embroidered pieces, mostly focusing on artistically stylized flower
compositions.
In 1902, the sisters settled with their father at ‘Gurteen Dhas’, Dundrum, Co. Dublin. Ms Evelyn Gleeson
also settled in Dundrum, and she founded the Dun Emer Industries, Lily working at embroidery and
Lolly mainly at printing. About 1906, Lolly widened the scope of the Press, and began to specialize in
hand-coloured prints, Christmas cards, pamphlets, and she executed many of the designs.
Cuala press was adapted after a break with Evelyn Gleeson and her brother Willie. Lily continued to
teach local girls in a wide range of expressive stitches, and some were framed, or incorporated into
cushions, table or bed linen or furnishings. Many were sold at nationalist art fairs, art and crafts exhibition
in Dublin, London and NewYork, or given as presents far and wide.
Mary CottenhamWhite was known to all as Cottie as a fellow art student of Jack Yeats whom she
married in 1894. Lily Yeats executed a number of her designs for embroidery, the best known of which
were the banners for the cathedral in Loughrea.
