Frances Elkins’ house is now listed on the US Historic Trust. She had a great stylistic influence on Billy Baldwin and Michael Taylor. Photo by Casa Amesti/Architectural Digest.
The first professional interior designer in the United States was a woman, Elsie De Wolfe, who was closely followed by a bevy of others—including Elsie Cobb Wilson, Ruby Ross Wood, Rose Cumming, Eleanor Brown and Frances Elkins. These women collectively from an enduring part of design history. See a visual timeline of their contributions. +read article