Agnes Garrett | |
|---|---|
 Agnes Garrett by Annie Swynnerton | |
| Born | 12 July 1845  Aldeburgh |
| Died | 19 March 1935 (aged 89) Gower Street |
| Occupation | Interior designer, suffragist |
| Parent(s) | |
| Family | Elizabeth Garrett Anderson,Millicent Fawcett |
Agnes Garrett (12 July 1845 – 1935)[1] was an Englishsuffragist andinterior designer and the founder in 1888 of theLadies Dwellings Company.[2]
Garrett was the daughter ofNewson Garrett (1812–1893), a prosperous merchant, and Louisa Garrett (née Dunnell; 1813–1903). She was the seventh of eleven children. She attended aboarding school at Blackheath, near London.[1]
She and her cousinRhoda Garrett were employed by London architectJohn McKean Brydon in 1871, giving them an entry into training that no other practice was willing to allow, as architecture was not considered suitable for women. The cousins opened the first interior design company in Britain to be run by women. R & A Garrett opened in mid 1875, in a flat behindBaker Street station, moving to 2Gower Street inBloomsbury c.1884.[1][3][4]
Agnes's older sister wasElizabeth Garrett Anderson, who was the first British woman to qualify as a doctor. Elizabeth set up a pioneering hospital for women, renamed after her death theElizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital, and Agnes contributed to its design. For example, she designed the fireplace for the entrance hall, which is now open to the public as a historical gallery within the refurbishedUNISON headquarters building.[5]
She was painted by the artistAnnie Swynnerton in 1885. The painting survived and it was identified by the historianElizabeth Crawford in the 2020s.[6]
Her younger sister was the leading suffragistMillicent Fawcett.[1] AtJacob Bright's suggestion it was decided to create a London-based organisation to lobby members of parliament concerning women's suffrage. TheCentral Committee of the National Society for Women's Suffrage first met on 17 January 1872. The first committee included Garrett, as well asFrances Power Cobbe,Priscilla Bright McLaren andLilias Ashworth Hallett.[7]
Garrett died in 1935.[1]
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| National | |