Anne Knox Arthur | |
|---|---|
| Born | 17 August 1866 |
| Died | 6 November 1949 (aged 83) |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Alma mater | Glasgow School of Art |
| Known for | Embroidery |
| Awards | Lauder Prize, 1939 |
Anne Knox Arthur (17 August 1866 - 6 November 1949) was a Scottish artist and author, specialising in embroidery. She became Head of the Embroidery Department of the Glasgow School of Art in 1928. She won the Lauder Prize in 1939. [1]
Anne Knox Arthur, known as Annie, was born at Harmony House in Govan in 1866. In 1891 she was a Kindergarten teacher, staying at 7 Finlayson Place (the street is now called Clouston Street) in the North Kelvinside / Maryhill area. She was to follow her elder sister Emily to art school in Glasgow. [2]
Annie's father was Robert Arthur (16 January 1830 - 6 March 1888), a draughtsman, engraver, printer and lithographer, a son of Robert Arthur and Ann Urie. In 1861 he is in 7 Finlayson Place with his young family, and his sisters and his brother in law Evelyne Mirton. Evelyne was then 14 and his occupation was an engraver. [3]
Annie's mother was Emily Morley (born c. 1839 in England), sometimes known as Emily Mirton. Emily and Robert married on 2 March 1855 and had a large family. Annie's brothers were:- Robert Arthur (born c. 1857); James Arthur (born c. 1859), he married a Janet Lyburn (born 6 August 1860) on 10 September 1880; and John Arthur (born 23 December 1873). Annie's sisters were:- Louie Arthur (c. 1871 - 10 July 1955), she married a David Dehane Napier; Edith Mary Arthur (born c. 1877); and Emily Arthur (born c. 1862), who became an art student before Annie. [3]
Annie later stayed at 15 Rose Street, Glasgow, where she set up a studio. [3]
She went to the Glasgow School of Art from 1908 and graduated there around 1912. [2]
She became a teacher there from 1912 to 1931. She taught embroidery, china painting and decorative leatherwork. In 1928 she succeeded Ann Macbeth as head of the embroidery department. [2]
She left the Art School in 1931, when she set up the Arthur Studios at her home in 15 Rose Street, Glasgow. [2]
In the Glasgow Society of Lady Artists exhibition of October-November 1939, Arthur won the Lauder Prize for her needlework of a curtain patterned in blue and red. [1]
She died of lung cancer at her home in 15 Rose Street on 6 November 1949 in Glasgow, at the age of 83 in the city centre. [3]
She wrote a book on embroidery in 1920 and it was published again in 1931. [4]
She also wrote for the Blackie's Girls Annual of 1925 and subsequent editions in which she explained raffia work. [5] [6]