Starting in 1943 with the hiring of Helene Rother, GM styling head Harley Earl began a project to employ women as designers at General Motors. Eventually, a group of ladies that would be dubbed the “Damsels of Design”, and their touch on the automotive world established a legacy that lasts to this day. By 1958, when the “Spring Fashion Festival of Women Designed Cars” event took place in the General Motors Styling Dome, the ladies had a firm grip on styling that proved Earl was justified in his program. Names such as Gere Cavanaugh, Joan Klatil Creamer, Marjorie Ford Pohlman, Ruth Glennie, Jeanette Linder, Sandra Longyear, Peggy Sauer and Sue Vanderbilt were the pioneers of what would soon become an accepted practice in design. Their touches to automobiles and even home appliances such as the GM division of Frigidaire refrigerators, revolutionized the use and beauty of everything they touched. Some of the “Damsels” eventually moved on to other designing jobs after Harley Earl retired in 1958, but their legacy is still going strong. Enjoy the video and the photo gallery below!