Ethel Mairet

Ethel Mary Partridge, Ethel Mary Mairet RDI, or Ethel Mary Coomaraswamy (17 February 1872 – 18 November 1952) was a British hand loom weaver, significant in the development of the craft during the first half of the twentieth century.

Early life Ethel Mary Partridge was born in Barnstaple, Devon, in 1872. Her parents were David (a pharmacist) and Mary Ann (born Hunt) Partridge. She was educated locally and in 1899 she qualified to teach the piano at the Royal Academy of Music. She then took up work as a governess, first in London and later in Bonn, Germany.

Introduction to textiles The Norman Chapel House main entrance in Broad Campden in 1895. This (partly 12th century) house was renovated by C. R. Ashbee for Ananda Coomaraswamy from 1905 to 1907

She met the art historian and philosopher Ananda Coomaraswamy.

Until 1910 they lived in Broad Campden a jeweller. Ashbee renovated a Norman chapel as the Coomaraswamy home. The couple visited India, where they added to the textile collection they had begun whilst in Ceylon. Ethel then built a house near Barnstaple complete with studios for textile dyeing and weaving. Mairet taught Straub about hand dyeing and spinning as well. Straub introduced a variety of double cloth weaves and developed a friendship with Mairet. Mairet learnt in turn from Straub and this underwrote her belief that hand loom weaving could be used by industry. Straub and Mairet went on three European holidays during the mid 1930s. Straub frequently returned to Mairet and Gospels.

In 1921 Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada visited Mairet at Gospels. In 1939 she published Handweaving Today, Traditions and Change. She taught at the Brighton College of Art from 1939 until 1947.

Legacy Mairet died in Ditchling Common in 1952 and was buried in Brighton, at St Nicholas' churchyard.

She is the subject of a biography, A Weaver's Life: Ethel Mairet.

The Ethel Mairet archive is held at the Crafts Study Centre. It includes documents and memorabilia from 1872–1952. Personal documents, travel journals 1910–1938. business and personal letters, books of account and photographs are included and are still a subject of academic study.

Published works