How the Yeats Sisters Turned Ireland's Saints Into National Icons

"The Yeats sisters, Susan Mary (1866-1949) and Elizabeth Corbet Yeats (1868-1940)-better known as Lily and Lollie-have long lived in the shadows of both of their brothers, the poet and diarist William Butler Yeats and painter Jack B. Yeats. In fact, Lily and Lollie Yeats were revolutionary forces all their own."

"The sisters played a pivotal role in developing the visual and written language of Irish national identity at the turn of the 20th century, one that enraptured the world and still continues to shape the popular imagination. Over their lives, the sisters collaborated with countless women artists in bringing this vision to life."

"The sisters founded Dun Emer-which included Dun Emer Press and Dun Emer Guild-along with textile designer Evelyn Gleeson in 1902 as an Irish Arts and Crafts cooperative. Dun Emer would play an influential role in the broader turn-of-the-century Irish Revival, which fused Irish nationalist politics with a renewed interest in Irish culture."

Lily and Lollie Yeats, sisters of poet William Butler Yeats and painter Jack B. Yeats, have been historically overshadowed by their brothers despite their significant contributions to art and literature. The sisters were instrumental in developing the visual and written language of Irish national identity in the early 20th century. They collaborated with numerous women artists, including the daughter of William Morris and the illustrator of the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck. The sisters founded Dun Emer Industries in 1902 with textile designer Evelyn Gleeson as an Irish Arts and Crafts cooperative, which included both a press and guild. Their work, including embroidered banners of Irish saints for St. Brendan's Cathedral in County Galway, played an influential role in the broader Irish Revival movement.

Read at Artnet News