Elsie De Wolfe Research Paper

1173 Words5 Pages
Elsie de Wolfe – Pioneer of Interior Designer She was a powerful woman, pioneer, actress, author, and was a major influence on woman around the world during her time period. She noted herself as chatty and ugly, with a little bit of a temper. She considered herself an ugly girl living in an ugly age; yet, she became famous overnight in both of her careers. Today, she is known as one of the most important people in the Interior Design career. She is known as the mother of design, a fighter for woman suffrage. Her name? Ella Anderson de Wolfe, born on Dec 20th, 1865. Most commonly known as, Elsie de Wolfe was the daughter of a well-to-do physician and a Canadian mother of Scottish Descent. De Wolfe always referred to her father as a “gay man”, always being happy, yet always putting his family’s budget in jeopardy by having a terrible gambling addiction (Russell, 247). She claimed her mother was thrifty and practical (Russell, 247).Closer to the end of her father’s life, his family had filed bankruptcy due to his constant…show more content…
Once de Wolfe established her business on Fifth Avenue in New York, she basically banished the Victorian style from her vocabulary. The Victorian style brought back her childhood memories of always being surrounded by the clutter and she absolutely hated the Morris furniture (Munhall, 2000). Once again, she was in the spotlight; thanks to her dear friend Standford White. White was an architect who helped de Wolfe receive commissions for the design of the Colony Club. She was able to continue her business for another six years designing clubs, opera boxes, model homes, published books such as The House in Good Taste (Wolfe, 224). Her business expanded, she bought a show room, had secretaries and other essential employees around her firm. Because of her work, she met Sir Henrik Clay Frick the richest man in the world during the 20th
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    740 Words  | 3 Pages

    The idea to move past the Victorian Clutter, was a step forward into the Interior Design field. As people had begun to realize that patterned walls and upholstery was overwhelming, the demand for professionals with the desire to change was high. Elsie de Wolfe as the “first interior designer of America”, with her simplistic views, modern ideas, and high contacts. Through her work, Eleanor McMillen Brown learned to twist French classicism with other eras. McMillen Inc. soon saw success after Brown decided

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