While today we see an unprecedented number of female designers, it is often difficult to trace the lives and work of the graphic artists, illustrators, engravers, binders, and typographers of the early- to mid-20th century. The problem is particularly prevalent for those who did the bulk of their design work before 1980. A few pieces of original source material, anecdotal accounts, and the memories of those who worked alongside these women are often all that is left of careers spent in design.

Though women have certainly been written about far less than men, a lack of interest among historians and scholars is not the only reason for such imbalance. The careers of women rarely followed the linear path that men’s traditionally have. For much of the 20th century there was tremendous social pressure on women to stay at home and raise a family. At the end of World War II many women who had gained a degree of independence as “career women” just as quickly regressed into domestic roles when men returned to refill the positions they had left. It took more than 30 years for the feminist movement to regroup, and for a larger number of women to re-enter the workplace and win the respect they deserved. For example, as late as the 1950s Helen Federico, the designer/illustrator wife of Gene Federico, remembers being pejoratively referred to as “that woman who works.”

Many women worked alongside their husbands in a business or studio and yet did not receive public credit for their contribution. Two such cases are Ray Eames and Marie Neurath, both of whom were partners on an equal basis with their more famous husbands (Charles and Otto, respectively) and have only recently been written about independently. Others had rising careers and left full-time employment for the flexibility of freelance work when they began families. There were also those who worked in such a variety of media that their lack of focus meant that they were not recognized in any one area.

While prejudice against working women certainly existed, successful female designers who practiced during the last century rarely talk about the inequalities of working in male-dominated environments as a primary component of their experience, nor do they complain about discrimination or lack of professional opportunities. For women who thrived during this time—individuals possessing tremendous creative energy and endless enthusiasm—the overriding idea of working in design was that it was challenging, fun, and terribly exciting. Instead of stopping to consider gender bias these pioneering women constantly looked ahead to the next project.

This timeline is a compilation of memorable moments in the careers of female designers. It is intended to show the richness of a collective past by highlighting a particular project or time in a women’s career. The entries have been culled from art anthologies, articles, and conversations; dates are included when known and every attempt at accuracy has been made. Given limited space it is impossible to achieve total inclusion; instead, what is shown is a representation of a larger whole. It spans the years between the turn of the 20th century and 1980.