Charlotte von Hardenburgh’s curatorial work and lectures highlight the influential yet underrepresented role of women within design and her research centers these narratives to establish a more expansive and inclusive re-interpretation of American design history.
Spiral metal jewelry made, photographed, and modeled by Fran Hosken, circa 1948; image from the Franziska P. Hosken Collection of the Weinberg Modern Gallery in New York, NY.
von Hardenburgh is currently working with Weinberg Modern Gallery to highlight the designs and humanitarian work of the industrial designer, Fran Hosken (Austrian, 1918–2006). One of the first women to attend Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, Hosken studied under Walter Gropius and later established her own studio which produced innovative flat-pack furniture and spiral metal jewelry. Hosken also founded the Women’s International Network, published a quarterly journal on women’s health issues, and is often credited for coining the term “Female Genital Mutilation.”
Chair upholstered in loop-fringe fabric on a checkerboard carpet, ca. 1936; Upholstery and carpet designed by Dorothy Liebes; image from the Dorothy Liebes Papers held by the Archives of American Art, Washington, DC
As a graduate student, von Hardenburgh worked as a Curatorial Fellow in the Textiles Department of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Upon graduation, she was awarded the inaugural American Women’s History Initiative Research Fellowship at Cooper Hewitt. Her research contributed to the retrospective exhibition of American textile designer, Dorothy Liebes (1897 – 1972). The accompanying catalogue—published by Yale University Press—is the first-ever monographic publication about Liebes. Additionally, von Hardenburgh managed and contributed writings to Cooper Hewitt’s digital platform. This award-winning website offers more in-depth essays on many of the projects presented in the Liebes exhibition, as well as new stories unique to the platform.
While at Cooper Hewitt, von Hardenburgh extensively researched the artist Emma Amos (American, 1937–2020) who worked for Liebes during the 1960s in New York City. This research culminated in a profile published by Cooper Hewitt—highlighting Amos’s time in the studio and her contributions to the Bigelow-Sanford custom carpet commission.
Hands of artist and weaver Emma Amos, circa 1965; image from the Emma Amos Papers held by the Archives of American Art in Washington, DC
In addition to her curatorial work, von Hardenburgh teaches undergraduate courses at Parsons School of Design. Since September 2021, she has been teaching “History of Design: 1850–2000” which covers the fields of architecture, industrial design, graphic design, and interior design. The course focuses on the social, political, economic, and cultural implications of design throughout history.
In January 2023, she developed a course for Parsons titled, “a History of Typography” which explores typographic developments through the lens of graphic design history. The class visits museums and archives—such as the New York Public Library and Cooper Hewitt—to interact with historic examples of typography. The course also focuses on craft so that students have an opportunity to learn stone-carving, calligraphy, and typesetting as they relate to historic typographic processes.
Charlotte von Hardenburgh wearing Fran Hosken jewelry for a collaboration with Emme Parsons, photographed by Laura Saur, February 2024.