American female industrial designer
Helene Rother
|
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/04/Helene_Rother_Nash_Motors_PR.jpg/220px-Helene_Rother_Nash_Motors_PR.jpg) |
Born
| 1908
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Died
| 1999 (aged 90–91)
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Nationality
| American
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Awards
| Inducted to the
Automotive Hall of Fame
(2020)
|
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Helene Rother
(1908?1999) was the first woman to work as an
automotive designer
when she joined the interior styling staff of
General Motors
in
Detroit
in 1943.
[1]
She specialized in designs for automotive interiors, as well as furniture, jewelry, fashion accessories, and stained glass windows. In the early 1940s, Rothier was also active as a comic artist.
[2]
She was posthumously inducted into the
Automotive Hall of Fame
in 2020.
[3]
Early life
[
edit
]
A native of
Leipzig
, Germany, Rother studied art at the
Kunstgewerbeschule
(a school of applied arts) in
Hamburg
. It is also claimed that she studied at the
Bauhaus
, although the details of when this occurred remain unclear. No dates are available, and some sources say she went to the
Weimar
Bauhaus (open 1919-1925), while others claim she went to
Dessau
(open 1926-1932).
Rother later moved to
Paris
[
when?
]
, where she designed both high fashion jewelry and popular miniature animal pins worn by women on hats and dresses before
World War II
.
[4]
In 1932, Rother gave birth to her daughter, Ina Ann Rother, whose father would later be active in the
French Resistance
and on the run for years.
[5]
Rother fled from
Nazi
-occupied
France
, together with her seven-year-old daughter Ina, to a
refugee camp
in northern Africa, where they stayed for four months before finding passage to the U.S. on a ship and arrived in
New York City
on 11 August 1941.
[4]
[5]
Career
[
edit
]
Rother's first employment in New York was as an illustrator for
Marvel Comics
.
[6]
In 1943, she moved to
Detroit
,
Michigan
, to work for General Motors.
[5]
She joined the interior styling staff and was responsible for upholstery colors and fabrics, lighting, door hardware, and seat construction.
[4]
Although she was Detroit's first female automotive designer, it was downplayed at the time, and her salary, as reported in a newspaper, was
US$
600 a month.
[6]
At this time, the average wage was $200 for a man.
[7]
"She was one of the few women to succeed in a man's job during an era when the vast majority of women couldn't even see a glass ceiling-it was hidden behind steel doors."
[8]
In 1947, Rother established her design studio in the
Fisher Building
, specializing in designs for automotive interiors, furniture, and stained glass windows.
[1]
Her business was named Helene Rother Associates.
[9]
In 1948 she published a technical paper with the
Society of Automotive Engineers
(SAE) asking "Are we doing a good job in our car interiors"
[10]
She participated in SAE conferences describing that much can be and should be done in improving automobile interior design and the materials used at that time, summarizing what determines quality in textiles "You get exactly what you pay for."
[11]
Her presentation at the annual conference also marked the first time that a woman addressed the SAE.
[12]
In 1949,
The SAE Journal
reported on Rother's work and her activities advocating for women in the industry. They described her "efforts have encompassed items ranging from jewelry and accessories to several of today's automobiles, and quoted her that "even the Army is ahead of industry in employing the talents of women."
[13]
Nash Motors
[
edit
]
1955 brochure copy for
Rambler American
"Created to Your Discriminating Taste" by Helene Rother
She was soon contracted by
Nash Motors
and styled the interiors of most of their cars from 1948 to 1956.
[7]
Even the economical
Nash Rambler
models were prominently promoted as "irresistible glamour" on wheels.
[14]
The 100 inches (2,540 millimetres)
wheelbase
Rambler was conceived initially as a well-appointed
convertible
with its interior designed with the aid of Rother as a consultant.
[15]
Nash used a strategy to give the new Rambler a positive public image by avoiding it being seen by the public as a "cheap little car." It was "well-equipped and stylish" with no "stripped-down" versions.
[16]
The focus on design and quality features helped establish a new
segment
in the automobile market, as the Rambler is widely acknowledged to be the first successful modern American
compact car
.
[17]
[18]
Rother designed the Rambler's interiors to appeal to the feminine eye because she knew what women looked for in a car. Her designs featured elegant, stylish, and expensive fabrics coordinated in colors and trim.
[19]
The new 1951 Rambler models were also "given the custom touch" with fabrics and colors selected by Rother that "equaled the best of interiors in American luxury cars of the period."
[20]
She toured the 1951
Paris Auto Salon
and was the first woman to address the Society of Automotive Engineers in Detroit.
[7]
In 1953, Nash was awarded the Jackson Medal, "...since 1898, one of America's most sought-after awards," according to an advertisement, for the excellence of design.
[6]
Many Nash sales brochures and Rambler advertisements of the time featured the copy stating: "Styling by
Pinin Farina
and interiors by Madame Helene Rother of Paris" as proof of the European influence on company's automobile styling.
[21]
[22]
She conferred with Pinin Farina, who styled the exterior of the 1953 Nash Airflytes, to coordinate with the interiors and new custom fabrics.
[23]
In 1954, the Nash Ambassadors had a significant feature: the completely new interior by Rother.
[24]
That year, Nash merged with
Hudson
to create
American Motors Corporation
(AMC), but her influence on interior fashion in automobiles continued.
Other work
[
edit
]
Rother purchased a home on Chicago Boulevard in Detroit, with living quarters upstairs and a studio downstairs, where she continued other independent
consulting
work.
[4]
Her clients included several
tire
manufacturing companies, as well as non-automotive firms. She was also responsible for designing the interiors of
ambulances
and
hearses
for
Miller-Meteor
.
[6]
A sterling flatware pattern called "Skylark" was designed by Rother for Samuel Kirk & Son, silver craftsmen firm since 1815, that the company issued from 1954 into the late-1980s.
[25]
The Skylark brand and logo expired in 1997.
[26]
Rother decided she wanted to begin producing art again, so she visited Europe
[
clarification needed
]
where she saw the struggle to restore or rebuild war-damaged churches and cathedrals. She also designed
stained glass
for churches in the U.S. and had installations in the mid-1960s, mainly in Michigan.
[27]
Examples include the Beverly Hills United Methodist Church in
Beverly Hills
,
[28]
and the St.
Lazarus
Serbian Orthodox
Cathedral in northeast Detroit with all thick "chunk" faceted glass, that was fabricated in France.
[4]
In 1962, the St. James United Church of Christ in
Dearborn
, was dedicated featuring windows and the
reredos
designed by Rother.
[29]
She also designed stained glass windows for a modern cathedral, Our Lady Queen of Peace, in
Harper Woods, Michigan
. She used 1-inch (25 mm) thick pieces of glass, which consisted of twelve elongated triangular frames that merged at the top of the circle.
[30]
The glass was selected and fabricated into small pieces by a family group of craftsmen in Buche, a suburb of Paris, before being shipped to the U.S. for final assembly during the construction.
[29]
Rother remains relatively unknown in the world of stained glass as women who designed stained glass, either independently or under a major studio name, were mostly unrecognized at the time.
[4]
In her later years, Rother also spent time on her
horse
farm
near
Metamora, Michigan
.
[1]
Legacy
[
edit
]
In 1953,
Tide
, a magazine covering the sales and advertising industry and trends, wrote: "A most attractive woman, whom I have thus encountered along the periphery of advertising, is Madam Helene Rother ? pretty and vivacious enough to serve as a prototype of Parisian women. She is an industrial designer with an impressive record."
[31]
According to automotive historian Patrick Foster, Rother is one of the important people in the automotive industry who have been overlooked or forgotten.
[8]
She was not the first woman to work in styling; however, "she was an early pioneer and one of the best."
[8]
Rother has been identified as the "patron saint" of the
Las Vegas Concours d'Elegance
and a
bust
inspired the design of the award trophies.
[32]
In 2020, her contributions were recognized by the
Automotive Hall of Fame
for "her influence on the styling and design of vehicle interiors."
[33]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
"Women's Automotive History Highlights"
(PDF)
.
AACA Antique Auto Museum
. p. 3. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 14 September 2013
. Retrieved
14 March
2022
.
- ^
"Helene Rother"
.
lambiek.net
. Retrieved
12 January
2024
.
- ^
Gustafson, Sven (6 February 2020).
"Jay Leno, pioneering female designer Rother inducted into Automotive Hall of Fame"
.
Autoblog
. Retrieved
14 March
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
Krueger, Barbara (1 June 2007).
"Helene Rother (1908-1999) Windows of the Month for June 2007 Michigan Stained Glass Census"
.
MSU Museum
. Archived from
the original
on 16 July 2011
. Retrieved
14 March
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
"The Good Animal"
.
Perspectives Magazine
. College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University. Winter 2009. Archived from
the original
on 26 January 2018
. Retrieved
14 March
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Foster, Patrick (July 2005).
"First Lady of Style"
.
Hemmings Classic Car
. Retrieved
14 March
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
Wolff, Tamsin (September?October 2007).
"Women's Automotive History Highlights"
(PDF)
.
NC Region News
. Vol. 53, no. 5. pp. 12?14. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 9 December 2008
. Retrieved
14 March
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
Foster, Patrick (May 2005).
"Automotive Hall of Fame"
.
Hemmings Classic Car
. Retrieved
14 March
2022
.
- ^
"Recent Gifts to the MSU Museum Collection of Stained Glass Artifacts"
(PDF)
.
The Michigan Stained Glass Census Newsletter
. November 2003. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 21 February 2007
. Retrieved
14 March
2022
.
- ^
Rother, Helene (January 1948).
"Are we doing a good job in our car interiors"
.
SAE Technical Paper Series
. Vol. 1. Society of Automotive Engineers, document 480146.
doi
:
10.4271/480146
. Retrieved
14 March
2022
.
- ^
Christianson, George T. (1949). "The November 15th Dinner Meeting".
The Supercharger
. Society of Automotive Engineers. Detroit Section. p. 55.
- ^
"The Lost Words of an Automotive Design Pioneer"
.
Automotive Hall of Fame
. 11 June 2020
. Retrieved
14 March
2022
.
- ^
"Are we doing a good job".
The SAE Journal
.
57
. Society of Automotive Engineers: 70. 1949.
- ^
Kunz, Bruce (7 April 2008).
"Creature comfort options were plentiful on 1955 Rambler line"
.
St. Lois Post-Dispatch
. Retrieved
14 March
2022
.
- ^
Medway, Sam (1977).
"Refrigerators and Two Georges: from Nash-Kelvinator to American Motors"
.
Automobile Quarterly
.
15
(2): 140?159
. Retrieved
14 March
2022
.
- ^
"Report on the small cars"
.
Changing Times, Kiplinger's Personal Finance
. Vol. 7, no. 9. September 1953. pp. 14?15
. Retrieved
14 March
2022
– via Google Books.
- ^
The New Encyclopædia Britannica
. Vol. 1. Encyclopædia Britannica. 2005. p. 333.
ISBN
978-1-59339-236-9
.
first modern American compact car, the Rambler.
- ^
Szudarek, Robert G. (1996).
How Detroit became the automotive capital: 100th anniversary
. Society of Automotive Engineers. p. 193.
ISBN
978-0-614-22229-6
. Retrieved
14 March
2022
– via Google Books.
the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation introduced the first modern compact car in 1950.
- ^
"1950-1952 Rambler"
.
How Stuff Works
. 28 August 2007. Archived from
the original
on 9 July 2017
. Retrieved
14 March
2022
.
- ^
Flory, J. Kelly (2008).
American cars, 1946-1959: every model, year by year
. McFarland. p. 444.
ISBN
978-0-7864-3229-5
. Retrieved
14 March
2022
– via Google Books.
- ^
"As though it were built for you alone (advertisement)"
.
Life
. Vol. 33, no. 5. 4 August 1952. p. 41
. Retrieved
14 March
2022
.
- ^
"1954 Nash Airflytes advertisement"
.
adclassix.com
. Retrieved
14 March
2022
.
- ^
"Nash Cars".
Motor
. Vol. 99. Hearst. 1953. p. 15.
- ^
"1954 Nash"
.
How Stuff Works
. 13 September 2007. Archived from
the original
on 15 August 2017
. Retrieved
14 March
2022
.
- ^
"Keystone Jewelers' Directory Issue".
Jewelers' Circular
. Chilton's. 1954. p. 83.
- ^
"Brand page for the SKYLARK trademark by Samuel Kirk & Son"
.
trademarkia.com
. Retrieved
14 March
2022
.
- ^
"Artist: Rother, Helene"
.
Michigan Stained Glass Census
. Archived from
the original
on 20 March 2014
. Retrieved
14 March
2022
.
- ^
"Beverly Hills United Methodist Church: Window of the Month"
. MSU Library Michigan Stained Glass Census. February 2003. Archived from
the original
on 12 October 2008
. Retrieved
14 March
2022
.
- ^
a
b
Sanctuary Dedication Program
. Dearborn, Michigan: St. James United Church of Christ. 1962. p. 15
. Retrieved
14 March
2022
– via Google Books.
- ^
Smith, Constance (February 2018).
Damsels in Design
(First ed.). Pennsylvania: Schiffer. p. 190.
ISBN
978-0-7643-5435-9
.
- ^
"Surplus Obfuscation"
.
Time
. 1953. p. 34. Archived from
the original
on 24 September 2016
. Retrieved
12 January
2024
.
- ^
Edsall, Larry (25 June 2020).
"Historians preserve designer Rother's speech for Automotive Hall of Fame"
.
Classic Cars Journal
. Retrieved
14 March
2022
.
- ^
"Helene Rother, inducted 2020/2021"
.
Automotive Hall of Fame
. Retrieved
14 March
2022
.
References
[
edit
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1916?1957 historic
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Nash
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Affiliated
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People
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Related topics
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Vehicles
| AMC
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IKA-Renault
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Rambler
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Renault
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Military
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VAM
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Concept
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Affiliations
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People
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Facilities
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Related topics
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