author

Julia de Wolf Addison

1866–1952

An American writer, artist, and craft enthusiast, she wrote lively books that opened up European art, architecture, and travel for general readers. Her work often blends practical knowledge with a clear love of beauty and design.

1 Audiobook

Arts and crafts in the Middle Ages : a description of mediaeval workmanship in several of the departments of applied art, together with some account of special artisans in the early Renaissance

Arts and crafts in the Middle Ages : a description of mediaeval workmanship in several of the departments of applied art, together with some account of special artisans in the early Renaissance

by Julia de Wolf Addison

About the author

Born in Boston on February 24, 1866, Julia de Wolf Addison — also known as Julia de Wolf Gibbs and later Julia de Wolf Gibbs Addison — was an American writer and craftsman. Sources describe her as an author, artist, and musician, and note that she was educated in England before continuing her studies in Boston.

She became known for books on art, design, architecture, and travel. Library records connect her with titles on subjects such as medieval arts and crafts, the Pitti Palace, and England, showing how wide her interests were and how strongly she was drawn to European culture and the decorative arts.

Archival material at Harvard points to a creative life that reached beyond publishing, preserving papers related to her art, music, travel, and book work. She died in 1952, leaving behind a body of writing that helped make art history and craftsmanship feel approachable to everyday readers.