Paule Marrot (17 April 1902 – 22 December 1987) was a

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

ian textile designer widely known for her textile prints with a flat, two-dimensional, upbeat style — often with a floral pattern. She experienced strong popularity in the U.S. after World War II, worked with

Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...

to develop the company's textile and color division, and redefined furnishing fabrics in her native country of France. Marrot won the

Prix Blumenthal The Prix Blumenthal (or ''Blumenthal Prize'') was a grant or stipend awarded through the philanthropy of Florence Meyer Blumenthal (1875–1930) – and the foundation she created, ''Fondation franco-américaine Florence Blumenthal (Franco-Am ...

in 1928 and in 1952, the French Légion d'honneur (Legion of Honor), as ''Chevalier.''

Early life

Paule Marrot was born ''Paule Félicie Hélène Marrot'' in

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture o ...

on 17 April 1902, to a bohemian family with a musician father. Marrot attended L’école des Arts Décoratifs in Paris at age 14 and in 1917 apprenticed in engraving and textile printing with Pierre Léon Dusouchet. Marrot became a teacher and was selling some of her original textile designs when she met

Raoul Dufy Raoul Dufy (; 3 June 1877 – 23 March 1953) was a French Fauvism, Fauvist painter. He developed a colorful, decorative style that became fashionable for designs of ceramic art, ceramics and textile as well as decorative schemes for public bu ...

, a

Fauvist Fauvism /ˈfoʊvɪzm̩/ is the style of ''les Fauves'' (French language, French for "the wild beasts"), a group of early 20th-century modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong colour over the Representation (arts), repr ...

painter, who in turn introduced her to

Paul Poiret Paul Poiret (20 April 1879 – 30 April 1944, Paris, France) was a French fashion designer, a master couturier during the first two decades of the 20th century. He was the founder of his namesake haute couture house. Early life and caree ...

, a prominent

fashion designer Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion ...

at the time — to whom Marrot subsequently sold a dress design — and ultimately fabric for his work.

Career

In 1924 she was admitted to the '' Société des artistes décorateurs'' (Society of Decorative Artists), and married her childhood friend, Paul Angelloz, who became her business manager. In 1925, Marrot shows printed fabrics at the Worlds Fair's '' International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts'' that showcases to her personality and new style which wins her a gold medal. Winning the

in 1928 allowed Marrot to open her workshop in

Batignolles Batignolles () is a neighbourhood of Paris, part of its 17th arrondissement. The neighbourhood is bounded on the south by the Boulevard des Batignolles, on the east by the Avenue de Clichy, on the north by Rue Cardinet and on the west by the Ru ...

on at 34 rue Truffaut, where she became widely known for furniture textiles. In 1932 her work was exhibited in the ''Salon des Artistes Decorateurs'' show came to the attention of Jean Schlumberger, an Alsacian textile manufacturer with ''Manufacture Steiner de Ribeauvillé''. Schlumberger became her exclusive printer and a devoted friend for 30 years until his death in 1963. Together they produced over 320 fabric designs and numerous table linens. Marrot moved her operation to rue des Arcades in 1936. After the war, she reopened the rue des Arcades store and in 1945 resumed production with Ribeauvillé. Working with Margaret Owen, she established the import of her textiles to the USA —

Jacqueline Kennedy Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A po ...

subsequently designing a living room around Marrot's ''Les Tulipes'' cotton print. From 1953-1965, Marrot consulted with

, prioritizing color and fabric coordination for the company and establishing their interior and exterior paint and textile labs. In May 1959, she exhibited her work at Stockholm's Artek gallery, which had distributed her line of 104 printed fabrics and 28 tablecloths since 1935. From 1961 to 1968 Marrot collaborated with Zofia Rostand, whose student she had been in 1960. In 1973, Marrot exhibited 82 fabrics and tablecloths at the Exposition au Musée d’impression sur Etoffe de Mulhouse (Museum of Printed Textiles at Mulhouse), working with Fauve painter

. Paule Marrot died on 22 December 1987.

Marrot at Renault

In 1950, the president of

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American multinational automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and was the largest in the world for 77 years bef ...

had visited automobile manufacturer

, noting the cars' drab colors, inside and out. According to Renault's own preliminary research for the upcoming Dauphine, a 1951 survey had shown that women held stronger opinions on a car's colors than the car itself. Coincidentally, Marrot had written a letter to Renault's chairman, Pierre Lefaucheux, giving her opinion that the postwar cars of Paris were a uniformly somber parade — and wondering whether an artist could not help find fresh, vibrant colors. Convinced of her value to the project, Pierre Lefaucheux made her a member of the Dauphine team — "to rid Renault of their stuffy image. After decades of being dipped in various shades of black and grey, car bodies

ould be Ould is an English surname and an Arabic name ( ar, ولد). In some Arabic dialects, particularly Hassaniya Arabic, ولد‎ (the patronymic, meaning "son of") is transliterated as Ould. Most Mauritanians have patronymic surnames. Notable p ...

painted in happy pastels." Working with four others, Marrot proposed new body and interior colors after setting up a new test laboratory to measure fabric wear as well as paint wear and uniformity. The new colors contrasted with the colors from the competition, the Peugeot 203 and

Simca Aronde The Simca Aronde is an automobile which was manufactured by the French automaker Simca from 1951 to 1964. It was Simca's first original design (earlier models were all to a greater or lesser extent based on Fiats), as well as the company's first ...

, including bright colors with evocative names including ''Rouge Montijo'', ''Jaune Bahamas'', ''Bleu Hoggar'' and ''Blanc Réja''. Marrot and her team then developed complementary interior fabrics for the seats and door panels, turning to Paris' large textile houses. Marrot also designed the Dauphine's emblem, with three dolphins over a crown, which would adorn the Dauphine's steering wheel and hood throughout its production. Over 2 million Dauphines were produced in its production run of 10 years, each bearing Marrot's imprint.

Licensing and posthumous releases

1999 saw the creation of ''Editions Paule Marrot Ltd'' which became ''SAS Editions Paule Marrot'' in 2002, reissuing more than 700 fabrics from Marrot's career along with numerous tablecloths and towel designs, a total of more than 670 designs. In 2005, Carolina Irving wrote a story about Marrot for Better Homes and Gardens and in 1997 the Museum of Printed Textiles at Mulhouse held a retrospective of her work. Marrot designs have since been used extensively under license by companies as diverse as

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

Anthropologie Anthropologie is an American clothing retailer with approximately 200 stores across the U.S., Canada, and the UK that offers an assortment of clothing, jewelry, home furniture, decoration, beauty products, and gifts. Anthropologie is part of ...

and the handbag maker, Hayden-Harnett. In 1952, she won the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marrot, Paule French textile designers 1902 births 1987 deaths Businesspeople from Bordeaux Prix Blumenthal Paule Marrot

Early life

Career

Marrot at Renault

Licensing and posthumous releases

See also

References