PAST EVENTS
Marion Dorn with Dr. Christine Boydell - Zoom Webinar on April 10, 2025
The Henry Varnum Poor Foundation hosted a webinar presentation by Dr. Christine Boydell about Marion Dorn (1896-1964) on April 10th at 11am (Eastern). Dorn, a freelance textile artist, was married to Poor from 1919 – 1923 and was by his side while he built Crow House, Poor’s hand built home on South Mountain Road in New City, NY.
The webinar was followed by a Q&A. The panel included:
Caroline Hannah PhD - Design Historian and Advisory Board member of the Henry Varnum Poor Foundation
Richard Porter Phd - Art Historian and dvisory Board member of the Henry Varnum Poor Foundation
Kimberly Randall - Collections Manager, Textiles Department at Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
When the newlyweds Marion Dorn and Henry Varnum Poor travelled across the country in 1919 to begin their married life together in New York, neither could have known just how short the partnership would be. In 1923 the pair divorced and Marion would settle in London. But those four years were crucial to the careers of both artists: Henry designed and built Crow House and Marion established what became a long and very successful career as a textile designer.
Image: A Painter and His Wife (Self Portrait with Marion Dorn), 1920, oil on canvas, 24 x 26 inches. Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery, Greenough Trust Collection.
This free presentation will look at Dorn’s practice as a designer, from her early experiments in textiles in the US, to her collaborations with British fabric and rug manufacturers and the establishment of her own design company. The relationship of Dorn’s work to Modernism will also be analyzed and we will also look at how she succeeded in re-establishing herself on her return to the US in 1940.
Dr. Christine Boydell is Senior Honorary Research Fellow at De Montfort University, Leicester. She is a design historian with a special interest in the history of twentieth century fashion and textiles and has published widely on these subjects. She was awarded her PHD in 1992 on the subject of the designer Marion Dorn, and acted as academic advisor on the exhibition ‘Architect of Floors: Modernism, Art and Marion Dorn Designs’ in 1996, publishing a book to accompany the show. Boydell has curated a number of exhibition on fashion and textile-related subjects and has worked as a consultant for Leicestershire Museums and Keele University.
Dr. Boydell’s book is still available. Please send an email to FestivalofPattern@gmail.com.
The Henry Varnum Poor Foundation (a 501c3) strives to preserve, maintain and provide access to the creative work of the late Henry Varnum Poor, including Crow House, his home and studio in Rockland County, NY.