mnsss305 Mary Shannon Strudwick Papers, 1932-1994 (ongoing) Finding Aid Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College
Northampton, MA
© 2005

Smith College. All rights reserved.

 Finding aid exported into EAD from InMagic DB/Textworks 7.01. Encoded by Margaret Jessup and Jennifer Smar. 2006-04-07 Finding aid written in English. Sophia Smith CollectionSmith College Mary Shannon Strudwick Papers, 1932-1994 (ongoing) Finding Aid MS 269 2005 Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

© 2005 Smith College. All rights reserved.

 Collection Overview Strudwick, Mary Shannon, 1908- Mary Shannon Strudwick Papers1932-1994 (ongoing) MS 269 4 boxes (2 linear ft.) English Sophia Smith Collection
Smith College Northampton, MA
Fashion designer. The collection consists of four scrapbooks and her self-published memoir, Mary Telling. The scrapbooks include photographs of Strudwick's family, travel, design work, fabric samples, and text. Biographical Note

Mary Shannon Strudwick was born in Columbus, Ohio, 1908. She graduated from the Columbus School for Girls in 1926 and attended Smith College for two years before she left to marry Austin Shannon, 1928. The two divorced in 1939 and she also had a short-lived second marriage. After spending many years as a single woman, she married again in 1976 to the actor Sheppherd Strudwick, who died in 1983. Professionally, Mary Shannon Strudwick was a self taught fashion designer and consultant. She got started in the profession by helping her first husband in his interior design business. After moving to New York City in 1939 she sold fashion ideas to stores. Later, when she was living in La Luz and Sante Fe, New Mexico, she designed store windows and displays. After World War II she moved back to New York, became an ad agency executive, and later worked for Macy's, Bonwit-Teller, and other retailers. As the founder and driving force behind "Mary Shannon, Inc.," which existed from 1949-1956, she consulted with industry leaders, most notably Cone Mills, on the styling and promotion of textiles. Strudwick also acted as a consultant for the American Craftsmen's Council, Catalina, and Levi Strauss. Her most notable achievement was her pioneering effort to promote denim as "fashion."

 Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Mary Shannon Strudwick Papers consist of four volumes of scrapbooks and one volume of her self-published memoir, Mary Telling. The scrapbooks, like the memoir, document the story of Strudwick's life from 1929-1994, and are artfully arranged. Many photographs of Strudwick's family, her travel, and her design work, along with fabric samples, are interspersed within the text. The collection could be a useful source for researchers interested in women's careers in business in the mid-20th century, the fashion industry, retailing, advertising, and marketing.

NOTE: The container list for this collection is available in the Sophia Smith Collection. Please contact us to request a copy.

 Information on Use Terms of Access and Use

The papers are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection.

Note: this collection has not been fully processed and therefore may be difficult to use.

Copyright to unpublished materials may be owned by the creator, or their heirs or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights. Permission to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use" must also be obtained from the Sophia Smith Collection as owners of the physical property.

 Preferred Citation

Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:

Mary Shannon Strudwick Papers, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.

 Additions to the Collection

Periodic additions to collection are expected and may not be reflected in this record.

 Search Terms Strudwick, Mary Shannon, 1908- Fashion designers--United States--Biography--Sources Women fashion designers--United States--Biography--Sources Businesswomen--United States--Biography--Sources Women in the professions--United States--History--20th century--Sources Fashion--United States--History--20th century--Sources