Born Margaret Thomas Keefe in 1913, she was called Peg by her family but preferred Tammis, which is Gaelic for Thomas. She studied at the Chouinard Institute of Art (now part of the California Institute of the Arts), and went to work for the Disney studios. She later became art director of the "Arts and Architecture" magazine, and began designing handkerchiefs for Kimball scarves in the late 1940s or early 1950s.
She told The San Francisco Chronical in 1949, "Handkerchiefs are fun to do, and I try to make them fun to give."
By the 1950s, Ms. Keefe had become one of the first women fabric designers whose signature appeared on her work, mostly handkerchiefs, linen kitchen towels, tablecloths, and scarves. Lord & Taylor purchased a full-page ad in The New York Times for a "Meet the Designer" day to introduce her and her fabrics. She was featured in many newspaper articles, magazines and books.
She produced approximately 400 designs for handkerchiefs and at least 100 for dishtowels, "all featuring her trademarks of unexpected color and subtle wit," reports the website TammisKeefe.com
Long after her death at 46 in 1960 in Ridgefield, Conn., she has been rediscovered through inclusion in events such as "A Woman's Hand: Designing Textiles in America, 1945-1969," an exhibit of work by women designers at the Fashion Institute of Technology in 2000.
She told The San Francisco Chronical in 1949, "Handkerchiefs are fun to do, and I try to make them fun to give."
By the 1950s, Ms. Keefe had become one of the first women fabric designers whose signature appeared on her work, mostly handkerchiefs, linen kitchen towels, tablecloths, and scarves. Lord & Taylor purchased a full-page ad in The New York Times for a "Meet the Designer" day to introduce her and her fabrics. She was featured in many newspaper articles, magazines and books.
She produced approximately 400 designs for handkerchiefs and at least 100 for dishtowels, "all featuring her trademarks of unexpected color and subtle wit," reports the website TammisKeefe.com
Long after her death at 46 in 1960 in Ridgefield, Conn., she has been rediscovered through inclusion in events such as "A Woman's Hand: Designing Textiles in America, 1945-1969," an exhibit of work by women designers at the Fashion Institute of Technology in 2000.
Born Margaret Thomas Keefe in 1913, she was called Peg by her family but preferred Tammis, which is Gaelic for Thomas. She studied at the Chouinard Institute of Art (now part of the California Institute of the Arts), and went to work for the Disney studios. She later became art director of the "Arts and Architecture" magazine, and began designing handkerchiefs for Kimball scarves in the late 1940s or early 1950s.
She told The San Francisco Chronical in 1949, "Handkerchiefs are fun to do, and I try to make them fun to give."
By the 1950s, Ms. Keefe had become one of the first women fabric designers whose signature appeared on her work, mostly handkerchiefs, linen kitchen towels, tablecloths, and scarves. Lord & Taylor purchased a full-page ad in The New York Times for a "Meet the Designer" day to introduce her and her fabrics. She was featured in many newspaper articles, magazines and books.
She produced approximately 400 designs for handkerchiefs and at least 100 for dishtowels, "all featuring her trademarks of unexpected color and subtle wit," reports the website TammisKeefe.com
Long after her death at 46 in 1960 in Ridgefield, Conn., she has been rediscovered through inclusion in events such as "A Woman's Hand: Designing Textiles in America, 1945-1969," an exhibit of work by women designers at the Fashion Institute of Technology in 2000.
She told The San Francisco Chronical in 1949, "Handkerchiefs are fun to do, and I try to make them fun to give."
By the 1950s, Ms. Keefe had become one of the first women fabric designers whose signature appeared on her work, mostly handkerchiefs, linen kitchen towels, tablecloths, and scarves. Lord & Taylor purchased a full-page ad in The New York Times for a "Meet the Designer" day to introduce her and her fabrics. She was featured in many newspaper articles, magazines and books.
She produced approximately 400 designs for handkerchiefs and at least 100 for dishtowels, "all featuring her trademarks of unexpected color and subtle wit," reports the website TammisKeefe.com
Long after her death at 46 in 1960 in Ridgefield, Conn., she has been rediscovered through inclusion in events such as "A Woman's Hand: Designing Textiles in America, 1945-1969," an exhibit of work by women designers at the Fashion Institute of Technology in 2000.
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