Celebrate Women’s History Month with a new display, Textile Designs by Edna Leonhardt, at the Paul J Gutman Library on the Thomas Jefferson University – East Falls Campus. The display, curated by Ann Wilson, Special Collections Technician at Gutman Library, is up on the library’s Main Floor through April.
The display showcases the creative work of Edna Leonhardt, a textile designer and the first woman in North America to own her own textile design firm.
Edna Leonhardt was a 1923 textile design graduate of the Philadelphia School of Design for Women, now known as Moore College of Art. According to Moore College of Art, she was the first woman to design textiles for automobiles.
The East Falls Archives & Special Collections provides a wealth of creative inspiration and educational opportunities for students, scholars, and professionals. Visit the collection at the Gutman Library and the Design Center to explore costumes, textiles, manuscripts, personal papers, and other materials of historical value that document the development of the textile industry.
To learn more about Edna Leonhardt, visit Follow the Thread, a textile and costume history blog published by staff of the Design Center.
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