Helen Dryden

Why did America’s “First Lady” of Design disappear?

Helen Dryden was born on November 26, 1882, in Baltimore, Maryland. Even though she displayed an aptitude for art at an early age, she wasn’t offered a formal art education.

“That is why my work is so entirely my own,” she said. “It is a combination of things I like, in the way I want to do them—rather than an unconscious reflection of the ideas of an admired master.”

In 1909, Dryden moved to New York City’s Greenwich Village. Almost immediately, she signed a long-term contract with Condé Nast—creating illustrations for them for more than a decade.