The textile collection of the Cooper Union Museum rose to preeminence with John Pierpont Morgan's 1902 donation of three significant collections of medieval European cloth designs. Mary S.M. Gibson took charge of the museum collections as Curator in 1904 and was responsible for the general oversight of the textile department until Jean Reed was hired as Assistant Keeper for Textiles in 1935 and Elizabeth Haynes became Keeper of Lace and Embroidery in 1937. In 1941 Reed was replaced by Alvena V. Seckar, who was succeeded by Dorothy G. Shepherd in 1942, and by Lili Blumenau, 1944-1950.
On Haynes's death in 1948 Alice Baldwin Beer was hired as Keeper of Needlework. Beer became Keeper of Textiles in 1950, and at the same time Jean Mailey became Assistant Keeper, resigning in 1957. "Keeper" was changed to "Curator" in October 1958. Sarah Frantz was Assistant Curator of Textiles from 1958 to 1961, and Christa C. Mayer-Thurman held the post from 1961 to 1967. Milton Sonday became Assistant Curator in December 1967, serving until 1997, after which he became Senior Researcher.
In 1970 Beer retired and became Consultant for Textiles, and in 1977 Sonday was appointed Curator of Textiles. In 1979 Beer was named Curator Emeritus, a position she held until her death in November 1981. Textile Conservator Lucy A. Commoner began work in 1977, and the appointment of Gillian Moss as Textiles Assistant in 1984 led to her assignment as Assistant Curator of Textiles in 1985 and Curator, 1999- .
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Agency History. Record 221285
