Tammis Keefe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
December 12, 1913
Tammis Keefe | |
|---|---|
| Born | Margaret Thomas Keefe December 12, 1913 California, U.S. |
| Died | June 5, 1960 (age 46) Ridgefield, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Education | Chouinard School of Art |
| Partner | Margaret Cousins |
Tammis Keefe (December 12, 1913 – June 5, 1960), born Margaret Thomas Keefe, was an American textile designer, known for her colorful designs used on accessories such as handkerchiefs and scarves.
Keefe was born in California,[1] the daughter of Thomas F. Keefe and Emma Ellen Stone Keefe.[2] Her father died a few days after she was born; her mother was a nurse.[3] She was raised in Los Angeles, sharing a household with her maternal grandparents and aunts.[4] She began her studies in mathematics at Los Angeles Community College. After a trip to Chicago to see the 1933 World's Fair, she enrolled as an art student at the Chouinard Art School in Los Angeles.[5]
Career
After she graduated from art school, Keefe worked at Disney Studios,[6] and became the art director of Arts and Architecture magazine during World War II.[7] By 1948, Keefe was working as a textile designer for Dorothy Liebes Studio in San Francisco,[2][8] which provided textile designs to the furnishings firm, Goodall Industries.[6] She also created freelance designs for other home decorative lines and wallpaper for various firms.[9][10] She designed handkerchiefs commissioned by J. H. Kimball for Lord & Taylor in New York. Keefe was best known for her bright colors playful designs on handkerchiefs,[11] kitchen towels and scarves.[12][13] In 1960, her shirting fabrics were used for a line of blouses sold by G. Fox, where they were displayed with some of her original art.[14] Some of her designs were signed "Peg Thomas".[15] "Good modern design is simple and serene," she explained in 1949. "It doesn't break with the past—but it looks at the past with different eyes."[5]
