Jewish women designers on display at Western Reserve Historical Society

America in the 1940s was a time of change for women, as they gained more power and brought to life their entrepreneurial spirit. In Cleveland, that meant importing fashion by four Jewish women who had immigrated to New York at the turn of the century.

In celebration of the Declaration of Independence’s 250th anniversary next year, dubbed America 250, the Western Reserve Historical Society will open an exhibit called “American Dream: Immigrants and the Business of Fashion” on Oct. 17.

The exhibit focuses on the designs of well-known fashion designers Hattie Carnegie, Irene Zerner Gothé, Nettie Rosenstein and Pauline Trigère. Though they lived and worked in New York City, their fashions were widely worn by famous Clevelanders and sold in iconic local department stores such as Halle Brother