The She-Makers

A groundbreaking account of women’s pioneering role in American design during the Industrial Age— and their lasting contributions to design education, history, and practice.

In The She-Makers, Hsiao-Yun Chu reveals for the first time women as a driving force in American design since the earliest years of the profession. As the burgeoning industries of the nineteenth century demanded new styles, products, and visual designs, enterprising women seized the opportunities for both financial independence and creative fulfillment through design. Women became prime movers in raising funds, establishing design schools, and building alumnae and professional networks that enabled thousands of women to participate in the industrial economy as designers and educators.

This book traces the unique alignment of economic, social, and cultural factors that allowed women’s design education to flourish in the late nineteenth century, through schools such as the Philadelphia School of Design for Women, the New York School of Design for Women, and the New York School of Applied Design for Women. All founded by and for women, these schools educated generations of designers who practiced well into the twentieth century.

Despite all this, women’s vital role in the early history of American design has largely been erased through decades of linguistic, occupational, and professional segregation. The She-Makers corrects these gaps, promoting a deeper, more complete, and more nuanced understanding of women’s remarkable contributions to design since the earliest years of the profession.