Florence Dibell Bartlett truly cottoned to traveling the world on her own and learning about local women and their customs in far-flung places.
Born in 1881, Miss Bartlett was a Chicago hardware heiress (her father’s business became part of True Value Hardware) and folk-art collector. She defied gender norms, starting her world journey at the turn of the century and collecting textiles across the globe.
She would come to recognize true artisans, the women who stitched samplers to teach their daughters the alphabet and the villagers who embroidered dresses with intricate patterns. In honoring their handiwork, Miss Bartlett showcased the crafters as carriers of tradition and culture.
“A lot of women traveling alone back when Florence Dibell Bartlett did would go West, like Georgia O’Keeffe did,” notes Rachel Doriss, vice president and design director of Pollack Studio in New York City. “Our collection, called ‘Undaunted,’ is really celebrating her spirit.”
The 11 patterns in the closely crafted group take their cues from – and result from a collaboration with – The Museum of International Folk Art, which Miss Bartlett founded in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
“Undaunted” was sparked by the museum’s textile and ethnographic dress collections. The patterns underpin time-honored traditions of hand stitching and hand weaving, spanning countries and centuries.
“We transformed each historic design into a completely modern textile, using a fresh eye and twenty first century technology,” says Doriss, a Rhode Island School of Design graduate who learned about weaving from her grandmother. Her team of women includes designers Chase Taylor, Molly Haynes and Jenia Myagkov.
“We all have the total fabric bug,” quips Doriss. “We draw everything by hand in house, then go to the computer. We work with the best mills around the world.”
Witty “Text Message,” on a cotton ground, honors the samplers girls embroidered using different stitches and needlework. “We’ve hidden our names in there,” says Doriss. Look for Chase, Molly and Rachel.
The patterns make a statement on chairs, sofas, benches, pillows and headboards. A portion of proceeds from the “Undaunted” collection will benefit the Museum of International Folk Art.
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