DAMSELS IN DESIGN

A first of its kind! This book features information and insight into the world of women pioneers in the automotive industry between 1939 and 1959. Written by Constance A. Smith, this book gives praise to a sect of automotive employees that is severely undersung.

In the mid-1950s, an innovative group of women at General Motors (dubbed the Damsels of Design by marketers) and their counterparts at Ford, Hudson, Studebaker, Packard, and Tucker changed automotive history forever. Read the untold story of the women who excelled in the Mad Men era of automobile and industrial design. Recruited by top CEOs at automotive companies, they developed many of the products we take for granted today. Learn about Helene Rother who designed the seating, instrument panel, and hardware for mid-century Cadillacs; Elizabeth Thatcher Oros, the first female trained in automotive design; and discover the history behind the child safety seat latch and car doors with lights. An extraordinary story of exceptional women, Damsels in Design sheds light on those who have too long been in the shadows.