Ashbee, Charles Robert (1863 - 1924)

British architect, designer and art writer. A follower of William Morris, he was among the reformers of the applied arts. The artworks produced by the Guild and School of Handicraft, active between 1886 and 1907, and the high-quality printed material produced by the ’’Essex Press” (both institutions were established and managed by Ashbee) were among the best artistic creations of the period around the tum of the 20th century. Ashbee’s versatility is shown by his literary work: around 1910 he translated the autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571) into English, and in 1915 he was a professor of English literature at the University of Cairo.