Where: Court Barn Museum, Chipping Campden

When: Friday, July 27, to Sunday, October 28

In celebration of the 1918 Act which first gave some women the right to vote, Court Barn Museum in Chipping Campden is showcasing the work of three females associated with the Arts and Crafts movement.

All three had links with Gloucestershire but very different skills. The best-known, May Morris, was a designer, needlewoman and political activist. Louise Powell was a calligrapher, embroiderer and painter while Nelly Erichsen was an artist and illustrator.

The Arts and Crafts movement offered opportunities for women's creative and paid employment outside the home. This was particularly the case for middle-class women, providing financial independence, status and fulfilling work.

Most of the work on display is from private lenders, and never been seen by the public before.

The museum is delighted to have discovered a collection of work by Nelly Erichsen, who lived in Chipping Campden for a few years from 1908-1912 before moving to Tuscany. On display will be some of her book illustrations and paintings.

Louise Powell persuaded Wedgwood to set up a team of 'handicraft paintresses' at the Wedgwood factory from 1914, painting versions of their designs. Some of this domestic ware will be on display including coffee pots, teapots and cups and saucers.

Because women were not allowed to join an Art Workers' Guild, May Morris set up the Women's Guild of Arts in 1907 which helped raise the professional status of female designers.

The group met in her London home and made a major contribution to the 1916 Arts and Crafts Exhibition at the Royal Academy. On display will be some of her needlework, designs for books and a rare screen.

The museum's curator, Sarah McCormick Healy, said: "We wanted to celebrate the work by women in the Arts and Crafts movement this year, not only what they produced but their vision and drive which enabled other women to make a living from their work.

"May Morris in particular was an active member of the Socialist movement and was committed to social equality. I am delighted that we have objects on loan from private collections, as many of these will not have been on public display before."

Special events include, on Saturday, August 11, at 11.30am, One-on-One: Researcher and author Sarah Harkness on Nelly Erichsen and her links with Chipping Campden.

On Saturday, October 6, at 11.30am, One-on-One: Barbara Alderton on the Life and Art of May Morris.

These informal events are free, however you need to pay to enter the museum. They last about half an hour.