Marion Dorn, an innovative American textile designer, achieved great success in the UK during the interwar period. She gained widespread recognition for her exceptional work in creating rugs, curtains, upholstery fabric, wallpaper, and scarves, characterised by her keen eye for detail and her precise use of color.

Marion was born into a privileged and forward-thinking family. She pursued her passion for graphic design and completed a four-year degree at Stanford University. After graduation, Marion began creating hand-drawn batiks and hand-printed textiles. Her exceptional work was showcased at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's 1920 exhibition on American Industrial Art.

In 1925, Marion's designs caught the attention of Vogue Editor and Fashion Editor, Dorothy Todd and Madge Garland. Dorothy showcased five of her designs in a double-page spread in the magazine in May of that year and gave her more coverage in October. Marion's fabrics were then stocked by Elspeth Anne Little, alongside designs by Paul Nash and Enid Marx.

Carpet design from a Book of Carpet Designs. ca. 1928. Image © Cooper Hewitt Museum.

Marion's commercial success was sparked when the Wilton Royal Carpet Company approached her to design rugs for them. This led to many other notable commissions, including designing scarves for Fortnum & Mason, creating illustrations for a new translation of William Beckford's 'Vathek', and designing rugs for Syrie Maugham's famous White Room, the Savoy Hotel Group, the BBC building at Portland Place, the grand entrance hall of the modernist extension to Eltham Palace, and Cunard's RMS Queen Mary.

In addition to her other endeavors, she also created designs for carpets, draperies, and upholstery in various tweeds and shades of brown for the Royal Train. These designs were presented to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth at the start of their reign. As the late 1930s approached, Marion's work began to attract the attention of many leading architects, and her textile designs for Edinburgh Weavers were being sold in broader markets, including at Heals.

Marion was a pioneering textile designer who founded her own business, Marion Dorn Ltd, in 1934. Later, in 1962, she relocated to Tangier, Morocco, where she established a studio. Unfortunately, her time there was brief, as she passed away in 1964. Today, her original and replicated rugs can still be found in homes maintained by both the National Trust and English Heritage. In recognition of her significant impact on British design history, a blue plaque in Chelsea commemorates her achievements.

Marion Dorn

Richard Serra

Curwen Press