On a recent trip to one of our local thrift stores, Anthony purchased a silver plate serving dish with a strong streamline design. His instinct made him believe it from the 1930s. Other than the manufacture’s mark, we knew nothing about it. One of the best parts of researching our finds is learning and educating ourselves about new (to us) designers.

 

 

Made by Reed & Barton and numbered 1605, the markings enabled us to easily research the piece.

 

Apropos to Women’s History Month we found the designer to be Belle Kogan. She is a pioneer for women in the field of industrial design because she broke through the barriers in a field dominated by men.

 

Born Bella Cohen in Ilyashevka, Russia in 1902 and emigrating with her family to the Allentown, Pa. in 1906, she showed an early interest in art. A teacher, recognizing her natural talent, suggested she enroll in Mechanical Drawing classes.

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But on her first day Belle quickly realized she was the only female in the class. A portent of thing to come.

After graduating high school, Belle taught mechanical design to earn enough money to attend Pratt Institute. However the reason for leaving Pratt is unclear. And whether dropping out of her own choosing or pulled out by her father to raise her younger siblings and managing the family jewelry business is up for debate.

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Moreover working almost a decade for her father, frustrated by life and in response to her father’s wishes she get married, Belle said:

“Well, I’m going to have a career, goodbye… I am never going to get married and I am never going to have children. I had a family all my life I helped raise. I helped you in business. I want a life of my own.*”

(*Pat Kirkman’s book, Woman Designers in the USA 1900-2000: Diversity and Difference; and Modernism in American Silver by Jewel Stern)

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Then in 1929 at the beginning of what became the great depression, her luck changed. The Quaker Silver Company took a chance on the new designer, offering her the opportunity to design pewter and silver items. And pleased with her work, they paid her tuition to study design in Rhode Island, France, Germany, and Czechoslovakia that same year. She credits this opportunity with her understanding that design was work, it didn’t just happen.

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As a result of her hard work and being a trusted employee, Quaker Silver offered her the opportunity to set up her own studio as a freelance designer.

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And so in 1931, Belle opened the Belle Kogan and Associates in New York City becoming one, if not the first, woman to open her own design firm. But she struggled at first. Securing an appointment with a prospective client (a large appliance manufacturer), they refused to meet with her. Because, they thought they would be meeting with Mr. Belle Kogan. Unfazed, she collected her consulting fees and left.

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Unfortunately, this would be repeated several times in her early career. Often, dismissed by men solely based on her gender. Or worse, prospective male clients wanting a more personal relationship over the professional one she hoped to cultivate.

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Her innovative and elegant designs eventually attracted high-end clients. For Reed & Barton, she designed silver plate serving pieces with a modern, linear design,  including the serving dish Anthony found.

 

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And for Telechron the whimsical duck-shaped alarm clock.

 

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In addition, for Zippo, sleek modern lighters.

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Subsequently she designed jewelry for Tiffany and Co. And then created the successful Belle Kogan 100-line (1938-1940) for Red Wing Pottery.

 

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Likewise for Red Wing Potteries, her Prizmatique line (1962).

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Moreover, she worked in every medium: wood, glass, ceramic, plastics, and metals. Above all, by 1939, she supported fellow female designers by hiring three women to assist in her design firm.

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Eventually Belle closed her New York studio in 1970 and moved to Israel to work with KV Designs. Subsequently leaving them is 1972, she became a highly sought design consultant.

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And true to her word, she never married and had no children. Finally recognized for her contributions to 20^th century design, the “Godmother of Industrial Design” passed away in 2000 living life on her terms.

 

Chris & Anthony (The Freakin’, ‘Tiquen Guys)