An authoritative and insightful study, surveying the life and work of "the greatest of the English artist-craftsmen" This study of the renowned designer-maker Ernest Gimson (1864-1919) combines biography with analysis of his work as an architect and designer of furniture, metalwork, plaster decoration, embroidery, and more. It also examines Gimson's significance within the Arts and Crafts Movement, tracing the full arc of his creative career, ideas, and legacy. Gimson worked in London in the 1880s, joining the circle around William Morris at the Art Workers' Guild and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. He later moved to the Cotswolds, where he opened workshops and established a reputation for distinctive style and superb quality. Gimson's work influences designers today and speaks directly to ongoing debates about the role of craft in the modern world; this book will be the standard reference for years to come.

This authoritative book is the most detailed account to date of the Arts and Crafts movement in Scotland. Arts and Crafts ideas appeared there from the 1860s, but not until after 1890 did they emerge from artistic circles and rise to popularity among the wider public. The heyday of the movement occurred between 1890 and 1914, a time when Scotland's art schools energetically promoted new design and the Scottish Home Industries Association campaigned to revive rural crafts. Across the country the movement influenced the look of domestic and church buildings, as well as the stained glass, metalwork, textiles, and other furnishings that adorned them. Art schools, workshops, and associations helped shape the Arts and Crafts style, as did individuals such as Ann Macbeth, W. R. Lethaby, Robert Lorimer, M. H. Baillie Scott, Douglas Strachan, Phoebe Traquair, and James Cromar Watt, among other well-known and previously overlooked figures. These architects, artists, and designers together contributed to the expansion and evolution of the movement both within and beyond Scotland's borders. Published for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art