Lucy Faulkner Orrinsmith
| Lucy Jane Faulkner Orrinsmith | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Lucy Jane Faulkner November 16, 1839 Birmingham, England |
| Died | 1910 (aged 70–71) |
| Nationality | British |
| Movement | Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood Arts and Crafts movement |
Lucy Jane Faulkner Orrinsmith was a tile painter, engraver, and embroiderer during the Arts and Crafts Movement in England. She is best known for her hand-painted tiles of fairytales, especially of Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, and Cinderella.
Lucy Jane Faulkner was born to Benjamin and Ann Faulkner on November 16, 1839 in Birmingham, England. She had two surviving siblings, Charles Joseph Faulkner and Kate Faulkner. They lived in Birmingham until the death of their father, and moved to Bloomsbury after his death. It is unknown what caused his death.
When they moved to Bloomsbury, the Faulkner family became neighbors and friends with the Morris family. It was at that point that Charles’ friendship with William Morris began, and by being friends with Charles, Morris was also acquainted with Lucy and Kate.
She later married an engraver named Harvey Edward Orrinsmith (son of John Orrin Smith) and changed her surname in the middle of her artistic career.
Lucy’s brother Charles and their friend William Morris founded the company Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co., which specialized in home and furniture decoration. At first, Charles hired her and Kate as amateurs just to help with the company, but as they continued working and growing their skills, they were eventually received as legitimate artists and were paid for their labor and compensation. Lucy also became one of the first managers for the company.
While her sister Kate dabbled in nearly every aspect of home decorating (including embroidery, tile painting, engraving, gesso painting, and especially wallpaper design), Lucy focused more on painting tiles by hand, which is what she became best known for in the company and as an artist.
Lucy Faulkner Orrinsmith was mostly known for her tile paintings of women, particularly from fairytales and legends. Many of her tiles were themed after the Legende of Goode Wimmen, in which there are many depictions of women of classical antiquity. Along with this, she painted stories such as Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast, which were painted in sequence to be hung as mantelpieces over the fireplace. Her paintings of the story of Sleeping Beauty are the more popular of the three stories.
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