Below is a very structured, flower-like drawing by Jessie Reid Crosby who was a student at Edge Hill College between 1895 and 1897. She went on to become a national figure in education reform in Britain. You can read more about her in the blog included in the research in the archive showcase. How lovely to have included all of the names of those she studied with, ideal for a friendship book so that the owner could remember everyone’s names.
The quote she includes says a lot about her own approach to her teaching. It is a quote from John Ruskin, who was a very prominent writer and critic. He suggested we had a social responsibility to nurture the talents and abilities of others, even to a position above yourself. This was unsettling in an England of rigid social hierarchies. What quote would you chose and why? You could write your own poem about your own approach to life.
