The Hidden Legacy of May Morris

The Hidden Legacy of May Morris

On the second floor of the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum is Jane Addams’ bedroom. Many elements of the space have been fashioned to invoke how it may have looked when Ms. Addams was still alive. Several original furniture pieces reside in the room, but perhaps what stands out the most is the striking design on the walls. For many decades, it was believed that the design had been created by William Morris, a renowned textile artist, writer, and Socialist activist. In recent years, it has been discovered that many designs attributed to him were actually created by his daughter, May Morris.

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Jane Addams & Mary Rozet Smith: More Than "Gal Pals"

Jane Addams & Mary Rozet Smith: More Than "Gal Pals"

The Hull-House Settlement was considered a “Queer Domesticity,” a term created by author and academic, Shannon Jackson. This phrase described how industrialization of the city changed the relationship between people and domestic space. Industrialization led people away from their families to come together and live communally outside of typical family situations during the late 1800s and early 1900s. While many people were married with children, people in the Hull-House neighborhood and in the settlement house were creating their own meaning of family.

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