Telegram-herald., 1889-11-19
gREAKTsG NEW GROUND.
TIE Eirss Woman Designer Was
Arz Florence Elizabeth Cory,
va s-zvri.-d sh~ Czrpss Co1aD418ss 81
sg.rAs Fr-etical Fasz~sns- -asx sac
sass - Eae-srasiss 0thar wonasa
- ExVlers EaaasEr1AI FtsI4a


frs1 tie u - ~ one s1o ars. fo4ad ths
ksY 1ad t4rasd rne zl8b aad sutsrsd
tlss sns treasure store room A-s-
/ loreucs Elizabeth CorF as 1he hrs.
No1l4n 1esig guer Iu tas e04utrF Eotn
- Arts lst-srlls4n 4nd a. teacher ~ tls
sc1osl o. ln4 4slrial Arts ana Technical
Design as las placed -horsslf a. the
head of she industry and. ln fact. b. -
she Eh0 - a large sx-sat has created
The iadastry as such for women.
NJ case, SAID sas yesterday. was
. tFpic4l one. Vita q baby t0 tzks
care o. 1 could palng al1lls. sing =
1tlls for the amusement Of nv frien1s.
lzbber . llr-ls french Very un4rammati-
gally an1 DO nothing a. al veil enough
~ earn q maintenance for myself al1
ny child-
zone day shlls calling on a friend I
happened % notice 4er ca pet 10 W4s
Fefy lgiF one lf 1 made carpets I
N0ul4 make prettler ones. vas nay re-
Eec5lOn ana Ike "a inspiration came
the thought ana Z s.ll daslEn Sheen.
No one ~ nay ecq u4il-suces. a0 book
that 1 could come ~ gave NE any IN
formation, buL 40 s4a tie year after tho
Centennial EEposl-len 40 PLLadelphia,
and EllAs running over some Oh nam
bers of .sralk Les-lss to amuse my
lttle girl elLn -1e p-.l..ees ( came upou
a descrl ptlon OF the carpet department
with llllstrarl0l5- The Hartford, ION
kers ald Lowell nllls acre represented
and choosing chs Hartford Carpet Com
Eany at random / wrote letter asking
II designs we're merchantable articles,
what prices we're paid FOR them, What
sorts GO paper they were made on, and
a there were any color restrictions
"Mr MAr-ia The Nee York agent OF
tbe company. sent nae . most encourag-
ing answer. No woman be said, had
ever designed carpets. but a. a woman
ought ~ BE- able 90 Judge OF The tastes
OF other women be- thought itmigh he
most excellent idea With his letter
came several sample des. zns. the hrst
things OF the sort 1 had ever seen
studied them, then / examined every
carpet IN tho house ou hands and knees,
picked pieces oi carpetlng 90 pieces and
foand cut several thlngs. Then / made
= design and sent o ~ Mr. Martin tie
returned 10 as not pretty enough 20 be
taxing but wrote hat IL vas practical.
and showed enough aptitude for the
business 20 warrant me In persegering.
Il made more designs and took them
% Mr. Barber. OF toe Auburn Nails. tie
laughed az the notion et wasting his
time on a woman on such an errand,
but when ! spread my samples before
him, be asked. 'N here aid you learn
thit who taught you that?' and ended
By buying one for $50, the first money
had ever earned.
My next step vas 20 get admission
% the ART school az Cooper Institute
where / vas told that / could learn the
art 0f designing but nay heart failed
me when 1 discovered almost at the
FIRST lesson that the teachers knew less
OF practical carpet designing than had
been able % ind out alone. They
taught the arr principles applying 70
design and taught them intelligently.
but of the technical points 70 be OBJ
served In making pattern which might
be beautiful in itself also possible for
the looms. they were wholly ignorant"
Thas their designs are pretty but
not practical IS the usual criticism that
has been passed. has IL not, by manu-
facturers on women ?'
How could il bs otherwise ? re
men designers learn IN the mills. They
20 IN as boys 30 grind colors. They
are promoted 20 fll IN backgrounds for
the draugntmen. then they are set to
copy and adapt, ana little by little 70
originate under designers eve. There
was no teaching whatever TO Do had by
women. The mills didn't want them as
HUNTtMlAIt1 AA4 Co at4NOl tNA~LHQ WnLEQ
made any account OF mill machinery.
''In fact no school In the East OF which
! know Is now teaching practical de-
sign. The wife OF a wealthy wall paper
manufacturer in Philadelphia attended
one Of the best known. She has artis-
tic talent and az the annual exhibition
her design took the frst prize. IL was
a beautiful thing. but when. being a
practical woman, she tested its merits
By taxing it, not % her husband, but 70
n factory where she was not known they
they told her 10 was Of no use. she had
not been taugh, how many coiOrs she
could use. how tire colors should fall.
the dimensions or indeed anything that
would enable her 20 Judge whether her
patterns could actually be printed by
machinery. So many women a-e dis
appointed because after giving their
time and money they 6nd tha. while
they are taught drawing ,hey are not
taught design as applied practically 20
any single manufactured article
And what did you dO?'
I haunted the carpet stores. Being
a woman the clerks had no suspicion
that was anything but possible buyer
and showed me every hing that was new.
! iotted down schemes of color and notes
of patterns and worked ont many Of my
own problems. Ry erd By got hold OF
q corr of che Carpet Trade Review
and got The address OF Mr.. Kendall. then.
Ithink. it's editor rhS the agent Of the
Tirelow Carpet Coulpan His kindness
took thorolThly practical form. on
the day after my visit bis head designer
called On me and viking pencil and
uape- sat down and gave me my drsi
usefuI carpet lesson. Mr. Kendall also
gave me note ro she head designer Of
= larre caruet factory i'm The city and
there. thogrh it amused the man az first
thata woman should De- Interested iu
anything bus dresses and bonnets, [ was
allowed 20 evan ne the machinery. and
rerhaus because 81 the very novelty OF
the idea. six weeks free instruction
was offered me
Having made -a-ret iesi -1e- = her
self By that overu asterinr desire and
persistent sfert which somebody has
said tr~ether -cnstf ftute genius Mrs
Cory was A. once engaged IS teacher 81
Coorer institute of ehat she bad her
self come there Co learn b1t her healtf
falling through over-sver r-.o0. she ven
West and it vas rot until three or iou-
wears later that she returned 20 New
Work ar1 established herself "a rr1c
tcal designer. succeeding So vel tha
she bad rrasen.lT nore work than sh.
could attend -c
Speaking from be- ovr experience
she Says thar 1ot only is sex no oh
s-arIa - woman success az a Be
x+rnnr hut 80 -ir7a IL ccw uE. srI
thinks when itv vtl ~ positive Al
var-aza The prices received By vo-le'
Tor tbeir vorz s-e precisely me sam'
"a chose Firen 81 men. and Nls1 rn'
r~owsh - technical experience on 'n'
aaarH