Damsels in Design: Women Pioneers in the Automotive Industry, 1939–1959

This beautiful book has been a long time coming! Finally, a comprehensively written record of some of the significant innovators of design in the Golden Age of the Automobile; female designers. Author, artist, photographer, designer, archivist, Constance Smith has done a remarkable job of bringing the lives and accomplishments of twenty of these women to our attention. With over four hundred color and black and white photos, illustrations and renderings, Smith has documented their contributions and shows us how they inspired and changed forever, auto design elements around the world.This book is the result of years of research, sorting out the myth from the reality. The author spent many hours interviewing the women designers, or their families in some cases, to find the real stories behind these careers. It is worthy to note, however, that only one designer out of these women stayed in the automotive industry long enough to make it a lifelong career, Suzanne E. Vanderbilt. The rest went on to other things, designing furniture, sculpture, teaching, industrial design, and anything else that used their specific talents and skills.With her own experience in the automobile industry, Smith has been able to bring elements of this book into delightful detail. When describing design criteria, interior detail, and exterior design, we have no doubt how it should look. That same experience and passion is evident in the auto photos that are so vibrantly exhibited. Many of the color images in the book were photos from Smith’s own camera. The images combined with the fascinating biographies of these unsung women of design, make for one of the best books on automobile design ever.

It you want a book full of (mostly) instantly forgettable facts about these ladies, this is for you. I was disappointed with the choice of pictures and small size of the few good images. I would have preferred to see lovely images of more of the work that they did. I sent it back.

Bought as a gift and subsequently donated to the local high school art department which is populated with more than our pro rata share of award winning female artists. Hoping to inspire young ladies to see beyond the traditional two dimensional paper and canvas and apply their proven skills to the three dimensional arts.

A beautifully researched, written and laid out book. There are a few times the wrong year is attributed to a car, which shouldn't happen in a car book, but otherwise a delightful and unique addition to my car library.

"Damsels in Design" is an expose of twenty trailblazing women behind many significant safety features. innovations, and styling of cars. Ms. Smith makes a valuable contribution to automotive history and women's studies with her extensive research and enthusiasm for the subject. This reference, rich with illustrations, is a must for any car aficionado's library.

Very interesting book.

I found Constance Smith’s Damsels in Design to be a very enjoyable and easy read, faithfully presenting each damsel, yet never losing each’s personal history or ambition as an individual. Ms. Smith’s selection of photographs and graphics well supports their design themes. I was particularly impressed by a simple sketch by Helene Pollins for a design exhibit and how much better it captured the essence of the exhibit than did the “as built” photo of the exhibit. Also impressive was the body of Suzanne Vanderbilt’s extensive leading work (and patents) in human factors, safety and especially child seating.I was fortunate to have known most of the original damsels, both as fellow industrial design students at Pratt Institute and as associates at GM Styling. One of the first things we were taught at Pratt was that being designers would change our lives, as everything we did in life, from here on, we would do as “designers.” Ms. Smith’s book does a great service in defining what that collective “design community” life would be like and it may assist young artists in deciding whether their creative “juices” will best be served as professionals within that design community.Norman J James Of Firebirds & Moonmen – Xlibris 2007

Constance Smith has provided a thorough, intriguing, and profoundly important work that recognizes the unknown, unsung, and previously unrecognized women who made significant contributions to the auto industry.From innovative design and improved engineering to enhanced aesthetics, these women helped shape the future of auto variety, efficiency, and safety.Like the recent film "Hidden Figures", which recounts the story of African-American Engineers at NASA who were instrumental but overlooked in paving the way to space travel, "Damsels in Design" gives engaging and interesting insights into these secret heroines of the automotive industry.Beautifully written and illustrated with wonderful pictures, "Damsels in Design" makes a perfect present for fans of cars, women's and American history, and gorgeous "coffee table" books. Give one to someone--or yourself.