The Women behind the Abbey: Dolly Robinson and Irish Theatrical Networks

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper revives the work and reputation of artist Dolly Robinson, focusing on her as a lynchpin of many cultural circles in Dublin from the 1920s to the 1940s. Drawing on the archive of Robinson papers, it assesses her contribution to the development of a distinctive Irish theatrical tradition and reveals a woman with strong connections to the Irish artistic milieu of her day. Her work and collaborations reflect some of the many interactions between visual art and literary culture. Her exhibition of paintings and various Abbey set pieces are examined alongside the productions and adaptations of these years, and how they underpinned the output of some of the major literary figures of the era. Specifically, Robinson’s literary influence on her husband and contemporaries is considered in the context of female collaboration, an enabling but overlooked presence that mirrored the role of many women in a newly independent Ireland.