Aug
25

Dynamo Dot

How a famous textile designer brought the “Liebes Look” to the bedsides of wounded soldiers.

Graphic for Sidedoor 8.6 Dynamo Dot

Dorothy “Dynamo Dot” Liebes was a whirlwind in the weaving world. Throughout the 1930s, she spun luxury fabrics so bold and colorful that their style could only be described as the “Liebes Look.” But when the United States entered World War II, she wondered how an artist like herself could be helpful at a time when “there would be no need for luxuries.” By the early 1940’s, artist and designer Dorothy Liebes had a unique vision, a thriving career, and a reputation for boundless energy and innovation. What she didn’t know was that wartime would bring an opportunity to put her weaving skills to work in an entirely new way. Joining forces with the American Red Cross, she brought professional artists to the bedsides of wounded soldiers—with results that surpassed Dynamo Dot’s wildest expectations.

Composite of painting of Dorothy Liebes and a phot of her at her desk in the 1930s
Left: Dorothy Wright Liebes, painted by artist Brian Connelly. Oil on Masonite, 1956. The sitter; bequest to Daren Pierce, New York; gift 1980. Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. Right: Liebes with fabric samples. Photographic print ca. 1950’s. Dorothy Liebes papers, 1850-1973. Smithsonian Archives of American Art.

Guests

  • Alexa Griffith, manager of content and curriculum at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum
  • Susan Brown, acting head of textiles at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum
Several square samples of various colorful woven textiles
Textile samples created by Dorothy Liebes. Gifts of her estate. Clockwise from largest on left: Heavy twill in shades of pink with black and metallic gold yarns, ca. 1948. Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (CHSDM); Blue, grey, green, and pink fibers with ribbon and beads, ca. 1960’s. Smithsonian Archives of American Art (AAA); Window blind sample with wooden slats, orange and blue fibers, and gold lurex, ca. 1960’s. AAA; Triangles of pile (uncut loops) in stripes of yellow, chartreuse and olive, ca. 1949. CHSDM; Chenille and plied yarn in red, green, blue and gold cord form even warp stripes, ca. 1953. CHDSM; Pink broken twill weave with projecting orange tubular flaps, ca. 1967. CHSDM; Warp of smooth two-ply yarn alternating with boucle yarn, ca. 1948. CHSDM.

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Links & Extras

Composite photo of Red Cross brochure and wounded soldier recovering in wheelchair
Left: Arts and Skills Workshops printed material. American Red Cross, ca. 1937-1940’s. Right: Photograph of Liebes weaving with a soldier. Both from her personal scrapbook, now in the Smithsonian Archives of American Art.

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Posted: 25 August 2022
About the Author:

Jessica Sadeq has worked in the Central Office of Public Affairs since June 2007. She is the Marketing Manager for the Office of Communications and External Affairs.