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Beulah Blackmore (1886 - 1967) came to Cornell University
in 1915 as the first full-time clothing instructor in the Department
of Home Economics. Blackmore was exceptionally well educated in
her field. She began her training at the Oxford (Ohio) College
for women from 1905 to 1906, and a few years later obtained her
B.S. at Teachers College, Columbia University. She completed her
graduate work at M.I.T. in the summer of 1939. In addition, she
attended several other schools, further strengthening her background
in fine arts: University of Washington, University of California,
Berkeley, New York School of Fine and Applied Art, Grace Cornell
Art School, New York School of Fine and Applied Art, Paris branch,
and AcadŮmie de Coupe de Paris.
Blackmore taught three courses during the 1915 school year: "Elements
of Design," "Clothing and Handwork," and "Elementary
Millinery." She became an assistant professor in 1916 and
was named full professor in 1923. In 1925, she became the head
of the Textiles and Clothing Department, a position she held until
her retirement in September 1951. She helped to develop the Textiles
and Clothing Department so that it encompassed a wide array of
subject matter, by increasing the curriculum from three courses
to over twenty-five. During her years at Cornell, she established
a costume shop, introduced courses for men, collected historic
and native costumes, fabrics, and accessories, and also opened
up research in the psychological aspects of clothing. Blackmore
saw clothing and textiles as expressions of culture, and as an
art form that people at every economic level could create and
enjoy. |