Dorothy Liebes

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Dorothy Liebes
Dorothy Wright Liebes 1946.jpg
Dorothy Liebes in 1946
Born(1897-10-14)14 October 1897
Santa Rosa, California
Died20 September 1972(1972-09-20) (aged 74)
New York City
NationalityAmerican
EducationSan Jose State Teacher's College; University of California, Berkeley; Hull House, Chicago
OccupationTextile Designer
Spouse(s)
Leon Liebes
​
(m. 1928⁠–⁠1940)​

Relman Morin
​
(m. 1948⁠–⁠1972)​
Awards1938 Neiman Marcus Fashion Award, 1946 American Institute of Decorators award, 1947 American Institute of Architects Craftsmanship Medal, 1948 Elsie de Wolfe Award

Dorothy Wright Liebes (14 October 1897 – 20 September 1972) was an American textile designer and weaver renowned for her innovative, custom-designed modern fabrics for architects and interior designers.[1] She was known as "the mother of modern weaving".[2]

Early life[]

Born Dorothy Wright on October 14, 1897, in Santa Rosa, California, she was the daughter of Frederick L. Wright, a chemistry professor, and Bessie Calderwood Wright, a teacher.[3] While studying anthropology, art, and teaching at and at the University of California, Berkeley, she was advised to experiment with textile design.[3] She bought a small portable loom and taught herself how to weave.[1]

In 1928, she married Leon Liebes, a businessman. They divorced in 1940, although Dorothy Liebes retained his surname professionally. In 1948 she married the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Relman Morin.

Career[]

1934 Gilbert Rohde armchair upholstered in a Liebes textile

After several years as a schoolteacher, Liebes decided to become a textile designer, and studied weaving at Hull House, Chicago, and made study trips to France, Italy, Guatemala, and Mexico to learn about traditional weaving forms.[3] Her first studio, opened at 526 Powell Street in San Francisco in 1930, specialized in custom handwoven pieces for architects and interior designers.[4] In 1935, Liebes met architect Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Wright had an influence in her design philosophy.[4] Dorothy Liebes Design, Inc. was opened in 1937, though her husband opposed, in San Francisco.[5] By 1938 she had seventeen men and women working in her studio.[5] In 1942, Liebes moved her studio in San Francisco to 545 Sutter Street.[4] Following demand, she opened a second studio in New York.[3] She relocated full-time to New York City in 1948.[1][6]

Her fabrics were known for their bold colour combinations and interesting textures, and often used unexpected materials such as feathers, plastics, metallics, jute, ticker tape, leather strips, and bamboo.[1][6] They were commissioned by architects, including Frank Lloyd Wright, Edward Durell Stone, Miller and Pflueger and Samuel Marx.[1][7] Other clients included King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia, the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite, and the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California.[2][8] Her textiles were also used in airplanes, ocean liners, theatres and hotels.[2]

Liebes was a design consultant for companies such as DuPont, Dow, Bigelow-Sanford, and Goodall Fabrics of Sanford, Maine.[3] A promoter of textile mass-production, she advised on the development of synthetic fibres, and assisted in the development of machinery that could replicate the aesthetic irregularities and unevenesses of hand-loomed fabrics.[3][6] From 1955 to 1971 Liebes acted as DuPont's home furnishings consultant. As a spokesperson for the company, she helped the general public overcome adversities to synthetic fabrics.[9]

Liebes is recognized for introducing therapeutic craft programs for World War II veterans across America. In 1942, she was appointed as National Director, Division of Arts & Skills, American Red Cross.[4]

From 1961 - 1972, acclaimed artist Emma Amos worked as a designer/weaver for Dorothy Liebes.

Awards[]

Liebes was one of the first recipients of the Neiman Marcus Fashion Award at their launch in 1938. In 1946, one of her designs was chosen best textile by the [10] The following year, 1947, she received The from the American Institute of Architects.[6] She also received prizes and awards from Lord & Taylor, the Paris Exposition, and the Architectural League.[3] In 1948, she received an honorary degree from Mills College and the Elsie de Wolfe Award.[3] Death

Due to a heart condition, Dorothy Liebes semi-retired in 1971.[3] She died in New York City on September 20, 1972.

Legacy[]

Her work is held in the collection of the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.,[11] the Victoria and Albert Museum,[12] The Art Institute of Chicago, and the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology at University of California, Berkeley.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Dorothy Liebes: Sample room divider (1973.129.7)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dsgn2/ho_1973.129.7.htm (October 2006)
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c Olsen, Kirstin (1994). Chronology of women's history. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 326. ISBN 0-313-28803-8.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i About the Dorothy Liebes Papers at the Smithsonian Institution's Archives of American Art, accessed 31 January 2012]
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Liebes, Dorothy (1970). Dorothy Liebes: Retrospective Exhibition, March 20-May 10, 1970, Museum of Contemporary Crafts of the American Crafts Council. New York: Museum of Contemporary Crafts. p. 34.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Winton, ALEXANDRA GRIFFITH (Spring 2009). "COLOR AND PERSONALITY: Dorothy Liebes and American Design". Archives of American Art Journal. 48 (1–2): 4–17. doi:10.1086/aaa.48.1_2.40649412. JSTOR 40649412. S2CID 192714589.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Fiber Art: Following The Thread: Dorothy Liebes Papers at the Smithsonian Institution's Archives of American Art, accessed 27 March 2009.
    NB: As of January 2012, most of the information from this source has been relocated here.
  7. ^ "Paramount Theatre History". Paramount Theatre. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  8. ^ History of the Paramount Theatre, Oakland, California, accessed 27 March 2009
  9. ^ Blaszczyk, Regina Lee (2008). "Designing Synthetics, Promoting Brands: Dorothy Liebes, DuPont Fibres and Post-war American Interiors". Journal of Design History. 21 (1): 75–99. doi:10.1093/jdh/epm038. JSTOR 25228567.
  10. ^ Decorator's Choice, TIME Magazine, Monday 13 January 1947
  11. ^ Dorothy Wright Liebes | People | Collection of Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
  12. ^ "Search the Collections: Dorothy Liebes". collections.vam.ac.uk. Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
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