Portrait of Susan Mary (Lily) Yeats (1866 -1949), Embroiderer and Designer

Susan Mary (Lily) Yeats — sister of W.B. Yeats and Jack Yeats — was a central figure in the Irish Arts and Crafts movement, co-running the Dun Emer Industries embroidery workshop. John Butler Yeats painted his daughter in 1901 during the period when she was developing the craft enterprise that would become an important part of the Revival's effort to revive traditional Irish skills. The portrait documents a family member whose artistic contribution, less literary than her brother's but no less committed, is often underappreciated in accounts of the Revival.

The portrait has the warmth and directness typical of Yeats's family studies. Lily's face is built with careful, empathetic attention, while background and clothing are handled with characteristic economy. The mood is one of gentle psychological presence rather than formal statement.