Alexander Ritchie (1856–1941) and Euphemia Ritchie (1862–1941) were

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

craft entrepreneurs from

Iona Iona (; , sometimes simply ''Ì'') is an island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though there are other buildings on the island. Iona Abbey was a centre of Gaeli ...

, Scotland.

Artistry

Alexander Ritchie (1856–1941) and Euphemia Ritchie (1862–1941) met at the

Glasgow School of Art The Glasgow School of Art (GSA; ) is a higher education art school based in Glasgow, Scotland, offering undergraduate degrees, post-graduate awards (both taught and research-led), and PhDs in architecture, fine art, and design. These are all awa ...

, marrying in 1898. They then moved to the island of

and opened a shop and silversmithing workshop. Their business was successful. The couple eventually created the

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

"Iona Celtic Art" and produced some of their designs in English factories. The Ritchies were active during the

Arts and Crafts movement The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and America. Initiat ...

, which was present in Scotland as well as internationally. They took inspiration from

culture and produced jewelry with Celtic designs. They also sold textiles, woodcarvings, and brassware. Some of their designs were taken from carved stones found on Iona. They produced souvenirs for visiting tourists, for which there was much demand as visitors to Iona grew. They also produced works of art later deemed "significant" by the '' Antiques Trade Gazette''. According to the scholars Sally M. Foster and Siân Jones, "the Ritchies are perceived as belonging firmly to the islanders’ heritage, while the crosses they spawned generate authentic connections with Iona, seamlessly linking the object, gift-giver, place, recipient and any new home to which they are given." They maintained a large library on the island, with books on

Celtic studies Celtic studies or Celtology is the academic discipline occupied with the study of any sort of cultural output relating to the Celts, Celtic-speaking peoples (i.e. speakers of Celtic languages). This ranges from linguistics, literature and art h ...

and history published during the 19th-century. In 1928 they published a map of the island that helped visitors learn the Gaelic names of various sites.

References

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Artistry

References

Further reading