The complete angler ...

This is a superb example of the work of the Guild of Women-Binders which operated briefly from 1898 to 1904. The complete angler is bound in green morocco with gilt and an onlaid design of fishes and water lilies. The design is by Miss Baly who was involved with the Guild from its inception and designed some of the early tooling patterns and the work carried out by Miss Heinrich.

Women had been engaged in the book binding business long before the Guild of Women-Binders came into being in the late 19^th century. They had worked in binding establishments in various roles for centuries and in the 18^th and 19^th centuries a number of women were managers or owners of their own binderies, usually carrying on the business after the death of a father or husband.

By the mid 19^th century more women began to study art and design and to want to find a use for the skills learnt. Book binding was one avenue and T J Cobden-Sanderson offered public lectures and demonstrations which were well attended by women. The standard of work however was not always high, and there was some opposition from the men's binding guild. The first school to teach book-binding was the Chiswick School of Arts and Crafts-women were welcome to attend and did so. More and more women were becoming interested in learning and in practising the craft.

A number of attempts were made to establish trade unions for women book-binders, but these were never strong enough to influence employers. The Guild of Women-Binders was established in 1898 by the bookseller Frank Karslake, and was used to publicize and promote the work of women. It was a loose federation rather than a trade union and included a number of groups including the Chiswick Art Workers Guild, an offshoot of the Chiswick School. Karslake acted as an agent for the sale of the women's bindings.

A workshop was opened in 1899; this provided both courses of training for the women and a workshop where they could do work for the Guild. Generally the design work was less stereotyped than that of the trade work undertaken by the men, and the women were usually more willing to experiment with new techniques. However sales were never strong and despite sending work by the women to Sotheby's auctions, and trying other avenues to increase sales, the Guild failed and ceased to operate by 1904. The best of the women binders continued on by themselves for some time afterwards.

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