Margaret Hayden Rorke (June 19, 1883 – March 2, 1969) was an American color standards expert, actress, and suffragist who was for nearly 40 years the managing director of the Textile Color Card Association of the United States. She is known as "the most influential 'color forecaster' of the 1920s and 30s."

Early life

Margaret Nillie Hildegard Hayden was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on June 19, 1883 to William Richardson and Katherine Elizabeth (Farson) Hayden. Her father was a theatrical producer. She had a brief career as a theatrical actress under the name Marguerite Hayden, including a 1903 touring production of ''The Earl of Pawtucket'' and roles in ''A Romance of Athlone'' and ''Terence''. On April 16, 1907, she married William Henry Rorke and stopped acting. The couple had four children (one of whom died in childhood), including the actor

Hayden Rorke William Henry Rorke (October 23, 1910 – August 19, 1987), known professionally as Hayden Rorke, was an American actor best known for playing Colonel Alfred E. Bellows on the 1960s American sitcom '' I Dream of Jeannie''. Early life Rorke was ...

Suffrage

In 1914, Rorke compiled and published ''Letters and Addresses on Woman Suffrage by Catholic Ecclesiastics''. In her foreword, she explains that she was "prompted by the desire to correct the prevalent impression that the Catholic Church is officially opposed to Woman Suffrage."

Career

Rorke was "the first professional color forecaster" and the managing director of the Textile Color Card Association of the United States (TCCA) for almost forty years. She joined the TCCA in 1918^:91 and was appointed managing director in October 1919.^:44 Rorke helped standardize color in American manufacturing and influenced trends. At the suggestion of the chairman of the National Boot and Shoe Manufacturers Association's Styles Committee, Rorke published her first "Chart of Color Harmonies" in 1925.^:166 By 1929, Rorke was working with the

United States military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

to standardize colors for uniform fabrics and trim. She worked from 1926 to 1935 to standardize the colors of the

American flag The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the c ...

.^:168–169 Phantomtechnicolor

Rorke employed "style spies" like ''Chicago Tribune'' foreign correspondent Bettina Bedwell, who kept her updated on Paris fashion trends for 11 years. Rorke and her team at TCCA incorporated the reports Bedwell sent into their own color forecasts, using the allure of Paris fashion to build the association's credibility. Rorke advised industrial leaders in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

on setting up the

British Colour Council The British Colour Council (BCC) was an industry standards organisation, active from the 1930s to the 1950s, which produced indexes of named colours for use by government, industry, academia, and horticulture. 1930s Founded in 1931 and chaired by d ...

.^:53 In the U.S., Rorke was a founding member of the Inter-Society Color Council, promoting a "progressive model of cooperative associationism with designers, professors, and scientists who wanted to foster the free flow of color theories and methods."^:188 Mamie-Eisenhower

Rorke also named colors, often tying names to notable cultural products or events. She named at least two colors—"

Phantom Phantom may refer to: * Spirit (animating force), the vital principle or animating force within all living things ** Ghost, the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear to the living Aircraft * Boeing Phantom Ray, a stealthy un ...

Red" and "

Sutter's Gold ''Sutter's Gold'' is a 1936 American Western film. It is a fictionalized version of the aftermath of the discovery of gold on Sutter's property, spurring the California Gold Rush of 1849. Edward Arnold plays John Sutter. The supporting cast inc ...

"—after films. In 1953, she "introduc da new color, First Lady Pink, which was the color of Mrs. amieEisenhower's Inaugural Ball gown."

Later years

Rorke retired from the TCCA in 1954^:44 and moved to California shortly after. Her husband had died in 1941, and Rorke died in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

on March 2, 1969, at the age of 85.California Death Index, 1940–1997
" database, ''FamilySearch'' (November 26, 2014), Margaret H Rorke, March 2, 1969; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rorke, Margaret Hayden 1883 births 1969 deaths 20th-century American actresses Activists from New York City Actresses from New York City American stage actresses American suffragists Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City Businesspeople from New York City Catholics from New York (state) Writers from New York City 20th-century American businesspeople