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An Unbroken Thread: Celebrating 150 Years of the Royal School of Needlework – updated edition by Dr Susan Kay-Williams

£37.50

SKU: 9781788842600 Categories: , , , Tags: , ,

NEW IN

An Unbroken Thread: Celebrating 150 Years of the Royal School of Needlework - updated edition by Dr Susan Kay-Williams

  • Showcasing regalia for the coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla
  • Covering the remarkable history of the Royal School of Needlework (RSN) from inception to the present day
  • Illustrated with historical pictures and documents
  • Original edition published to coincide with the RSN’s 150th anniversary

Many initiatives to support women were begun in the late 1800s, but the Royal School of Needlework (RSN) is one of the few that remain. This initiative was born from the desire of three women – Princess Helena, Lady Victoria Welby and Lady Marian Alford – to popularise the lost art of ornamental needlework and place it on a par with other decorative arts, such as painting and sculpture. Their other, yet no less important, goal was to provide employment for women compelled to earn their own livelihood. Though women are no longer so limited in occupational options, the RSN has been keeping traditional embroidery techniques alive for a century and a half.

First published to coincide with the RSN’s 150th anniversary, this revised edition details the most recent projects worked by the RSN, showcasing their skilful work on regalia for the coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla – The King’s Robe of State, The Queen’s Robe of Estate, The Anointing Screen, The Stole Royal and Girdle, The Chairs of Estate and The Chairs of State.

About the Author 

Dr Susan Kay-Williams has been the Chief Executive of the RSN for almost 17 years, during that time as well as the ‘day job’ she has taken a keen interest in the history of the organisation and spent part of her lockdown reading all she could about the RSN from the archives and also from press reports, especially for the times when the RSN’s own archives are rather lacking. This turned into the exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum in 2022 and the first edition of An Unbroken Thread.

This was Susan’s second book, her first being on her major research interest which is about the history of textile dyes. The Story of Colour in Textiles was published by Bloomsbury in 2013. Following that publication she was made a Fellow of the Society of Dyers and Colourists (SDC) and in May 2024 she will become President of the SDC for 2024-25.

 

3 in stock

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SKU: 9781788842600 Categories: , , , Tags: , ,

Description

NEW IN

An Unbroken Thread: Celebrating 150 Years of the Royal School of Needlework – updated edition by Dr Susan Kay-Williams

  • Showcasing regalia for the coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla
  • Covering the remarkable history of the Royal School of Needlework (RSN) from inception to the present day
  • Illustrated with historical pictures and documents
  • Original edition published to coincide with the RSN’s 150th anniversary

Many initiatives to support women were begun in the late 1800s, but the Royal School of Needlework (RSN) is one of the few that remain. This initiative was born from the desire of three women – Princess Helena, Lady Victoria Welby and Lady Marian Alford – to popularise the lost art of ornamental needlework and place it on a par with other decorative arts, such as painting and sculpture. Their other, yet no less important, goal was to provide employment for women compelled to earn their own livelihood. Though women are no longer so limited in occupational options, the RSN has been keeping traditional embroidery techniques alive for a century and a half.

First published to coincide with the RSN’s 150th anniversary, this revised edition details the most recent projects worked by the RSN, showcasing their skilful work on regalia for the coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla – The King’s Robe of State, The Queen’s Robe of Estate, The Anointing Screen, The Stole Royal and Girdle, The Chairs of Estate and The Chairs of State.

About the Author 

Dr Susan Kay-Williams has been the Chief Executive of the RSN for almost 17 years, during that time as well as the ‘day job’ she has taken a keen interest in the history of the organisation and spent part of her lockdown reading all she could about the RSN from the archives and also from press reports, especially for the times when the RSN’s own archives are rather lacking. This turned into the exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum in 2022 and the first edition of An Unbroken Thread.

This was Susan’s second book, her first being on her major research interest which is about the history of textile dyes. The Story of Colour in Textiles was published by Bloomsbury in 2013. Following that publication she was made a Fellow of the Society of Dyers and Colourists (SDC) and in May 2024 she will become President of the SDC for 2024-25.

 

Additional information

Weight 2.5 kg
Dimensions 40 × 4 × 34 cm

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