In 2015, Raw Vision published a series of colour photographs, taken in 1947, of one of the greatest exponents of mediumistic art, Madge Gill (1882–1961). One photo shows the artist in her East London home, wearing a dress she has embroidered in wild colours that contrast with the staid Victorian decor around her. In another image, Gill sits surrounded by draped fabrics, all of which she has delicately embroidered, the intricate threads creating a free flowing, hypnotic sea of pattern. All but one of the embroidered works shown in these 1947 photographs have never been seen by the public ­– until now.

Orphaned as a child, Gill suffered hardship and tragedy in her life and, deeply depressed, used art as a way to express her emotions and establish an identity for herself. Claiming to be channelling the will of her spirit-guide “Myrninerest”, she created prolifically. She wrote, painted and created the numerous, mesmerising ink drawings on paper, calico and postcards for which she is well-known today. She also made the skillfully embroidered rugs, hangings and dresses, many of which subsequently disappeared.

In 2018, a remarkable collection of eleven embroideries created by Gill were unearthed – among them, the very same pieces that appear in the photos in Raw Vision #87. A research project to discover more about the artist and the whereabouts of her lost works had been underway for three years, and involved searches through archives, museums and art dealerships, as well as a series of open call-outs for information. Patricia Beger, the wife of an antiques dealer, responded to one such call-out – received through a series of connections and antique dealerships – and revealed that she had had the magnificent collection of embroideries stored away in her loft since Gill passed away in 1961. The unique textiles have remained in immaculate condition, and have just been exhibited, for the first time, at the William Morris Gallery, in Gill’s hometown of Walthamstow, in East London.
    
caption: Untitled, n.d., colour cotton embroidery, 32 x 14 in. / 82 x 36 cm, photo: Paul Tucker, collection of Patricia Berger, courtesy of Sophie Dutton