Dryad Handicrafts

Harry Hardy Peach  

In 1907 Harry Hardy Peach (1874–1936) founded Dryad Handicrafts, which made and sold cane furniture. Their showroom was at 42 St Nicholas Street, Leicester. In 1912 they started Dryad Metalworks, the same year the company made deck chairs for the ill-fated RMS Titanic. Both firms quickly became recognised for their use of good design and workmanship. During the First World War the company supplied cane to a local hospital, so that wounded soldiers could make baskets to help them recover both physically and mentally. Seeing the educational benefits, Dryad started selling cane and other craft materials for use in schools. 

Dryad Work Leicester Map

Influences and Associations  

Benjamin Fletcher was head of the Leicester School of Art, and a co-founder of Dryad. He introduced Harry Peach to the writings of William Morris and William Lethaby, who were leading members of the Arts and Crafts movement. This resulted in many of the Dryad designs being made in the distinctive “Arts and Crafts” style. Peach was also President of the Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society and a member of the Independent Labour Party. 

His concern for social issues led to him organising an public exhibition to raise awareness of the poor industrial working conditions in the city. His first wife, Marina Peach was also involved in the suffragette movement, and campaigned for the improvement of health care for working class women. 

Cane Basketry Workers

University of Leicester Collection  

The Dryad Collection consists of books, leaflets, and some journal volumes that once were part of the library of the Dryad Handicrafts Company. Two manuscripts in the collection have recently been partially digitised in 3D. These are a Sikh manuscript by the Sikh Museum Initiative, and an Ethiopian Manuscript in conjunction with the British Library. 

Binding of the Sikh Manuscript - credit - University of Leicester Archives

Dryad Collects the World  

Harry Peach was a keen collector, and between 1907 and 1937 acquired nearly 3000 items of craftwork while travelling in Europe, Africa and Asia. He also collected objects through his many contacts with other craftwork collectors and academics. For example, a Mrs Boyd-Bowman from Leicester collected several kites for Peach’s collection. It was always Harry’s dream to open a museum of good quality craftwork, potentially in conjunction with the Leicester School of Art, as an inspiration for teachers and others. While this dream was never realised, the majority of his collection was given to Leicester Museum and Art Gallery in 1969, and now forms the Dryad Collection at the museum. 

Dryad Handicrafts Shop

German Influences  

Harry was particularly interested in the Deutscher Werkbund, a German design movement, that began in 1907 in Munich. The Werkbund was made up of artists, artisans and architects who believed in good design and craftsmanship. Harry Peach could speak German and often visited the country, attending design fairs and international exhibitions. German objects in the Dryad Collection include wooden butter moulds and spoons, confectionery stamps, and glove puppets representing a policeman, a queen and a king, a witch. 

Dryad Handicrafts, 1930s

Arts and Crafts  

The Dryad Collection held by Leicester Museums and Galleries has the finest examples of 20th century cane and basketwork in the UK. The collection also includes fabrics and clothing, toys and ornaments, a selection of carved and painted wooden objects, and items from the practical to the purely decorative. There are also figures of people and animals from around the world, including a fertility doll, a deer mask, warrior figures, a painted wooden bull, and many others. 

Cane sewing box on stand