"Batik" Fabric Swatch Designed by Ruth Adler Schnee, 1947-1969

Trained as an interior architect, Ruth Adler Schnee began her pioneering foray into textile design with an entry into the Chicago Tribune's "Better Rooms for Better Living" interior design competition. Unable to locate suitable fabrics, she designed her own and this ad hoc textile she designed drew attention. She promptly taught herself to screen print and began to sell her own designs.