It has always seemed surprising to me that Cryséde Silks, which, in 1918, should have originated in Newlyn - a village, predominantly known for its fishing industry, and situated far away from any major fashionable town or city. The company produced unique hand-designed and hand-made silk dresses, which would be sold all over the world.

Janet Axten has been researching the people and events that led up to the formation of Cryséde. She has looked at the expansion of the town due to the creation of the new piers in the 1880s, and the opening of the Industrial Class; the newly established Arts and Crafts movement of the 1890s, producing, among other things, fine copper and enamel ware. She has also identified the accomplishments of the painter Elizabeth Forbes, who, at the turn of the twentieth century, encouraged a generation of fashionable and talented young women to attend the Forbes School of Painting. These included Katherine Earle (who would co-create Cryséde Silks)

Social history usually ignores the contribution that women have made to a local economy. ‘Before Cryséde’ aims to give these women a voice by identifying who they were and what they did.

???? Date: 19 May 2026???? Time: 7.30 pm???? Venue: The Queen’s Hotel, Penzance????️ Tickets: £7 Friends | £15 General admission

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