Learning about Ethel Reed

This summer, I was lucky enough to saunter across a new design venue in Manhattan known as Poster House. I will admit to having a huge soft spot for poster design, and the prospect of visiting a new venue grappling with topics in poster design delighted me. It was as if New York wanted to give me a very special birthday present, and had reviewed my dreams to know exactly what would tickle me most. (!)

The visit to Poster House did not disappoint. I caught a great show on Russian Constructivism, perused their excellent shop, where I saw evidence of some other great shows, and I continued downstairs to look through a great exhibit on movie show cards.

But what I didn’t expect was the show on Ethel Reed. I was so moved by her story, which described her Art Nouveau illustrations for the Boston publishing industry, her cult of personality, fueled by several photoshoots by famous photographers, and her disappearance –swift and haunting– from mainstream graphic design history.

I was so rapt with this story, I refined my musings into the following article, which you can view on Design Observer’s website.

Thanks to Jessica Helfand and Betsy Vardell for their help in publishing this article.