Elizabeth Corbet Yeats (1868 – 1940), known as Lolly, was born at 23 Fitzroy Road, London. She was the daughter of the Irish artist John Butler Yeats and sister of W. B., Jack and Susan Yeats. She trained and worked as an art teacher and was a member of William Morris's circle in London before her family returned to Dublin in 1900. At the suggestion of Emery Walker, who worked with Morris on the Kelmscott Press, Elizabeth studied printing with the Womes's Printing Society in London.
In Dublin, she accepted invitation to join Evelyn Gleeson to form the Dun Emer Guild along with Susan, who was a needleworker. Elizabeth managed the Dun Emer Press from 1902. The Press was located at Runnymede, the house of Evelyn Gleeson. (This house, located in Dundrum, was later renamed Dun Emer. It has since been demolished.) This was set up with the intention of training young women in bookbinding and printing.
In 1904, she and her brother William started the Cuala Press, publishing over 70 books including 48 by the poet. Elizabeth was the first commercial printer in Ireland to work exclusively with hand presses.
References
- Lewis, Gifford. The Yeats sisters and the Cuala. (Irish Academic Press, 1994). ISBN 0-7165-2525-9
- Elizabeth Yeats at the Princess Grace Irish Library
- Elizabeth Yeats at Unseen Hands: Women Printers, Binders and Book Designers
- Elizabeth Yeats at Trent University Archives
Further reading
- Hardwick, Joan. The Yeats Sisters : A Biography of Susan and Elizabeth Yeats. (HarperCollins. Pandora, 1996.) ISBN 0-04-440924-9.
- William M. Murphy. 'Dun Emer, 1902-1905'; 'William Butler Yeats and the Weird Sisters'; 'Cuala: The Partnership, 1908-1923'; 'Cuala: The Separation': in "Family Secrets: William Butler Yeats and His Relatives." Syracuse University, 1995.