About

My thesis aims to recover the hidden histories of the women working as interior decorators, 1874 to 1900. It will discuss who these women were and what variety of work they produced, how their businesses operated and why, during this period, women were able to assert their status as professionals in a previously male-dominated field.  It will involve the production of a broad biographical survey of the personal identities and professional outputs of the women working as interior decorators during the period in question. It will also focus on three case studies of firms: those owned by Agnes and Rhoda Garrett, by Charlotte Robinson and by Caroline Crommelin.