Patricia Ann George

Patricia 'Pat' George was born in 1925 in Kansas City, Missouri, to John Dorton and Anna Jane (Hayden) George. She attended classes in the Fashion Illustration Department with Robert Rauschenberg at the Kansas City Art Institute and School of Design, earning her diploma in 1948 in fashion illustration. They were both known to have designed for area fashion shows during their time as students.

Patricia George began working for Kansas City clothing and fashion retailer Harzfeld’s in 1948. She worked in the advertising department and designed stylish and playful ads for Harzfeld’s for two decades. Her fashion illustrations appeared in the Kansas City Star and Kansas City Times throughout the 1950s and 1960s. She also did work for the Independent magazine.

Garment manufacturing was the second-largest employer in Kansas City in the 1940s and clothing advertising had a far reach. Some of her ads included a 10th anniversary ad for Christian Dior (1957) as well as ads for Revlon. In the 1970s George did work as a freelance commercial artist and continued to work for well-known clothiers.

Patricia George continued her involvement with the Kansas City Art Institute, serving as an adviser and teacher for several years after graduation. She maintained her connection to the college as an active alumna. George exhibited her work in local shows, including the Plaza Art Fair and at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. She also had solo exhibitions.

Patricia George loved nature and was a member of arts organizations as well as organizations that support the environment, including the Nature Conservancy and the Missouri Prairie Foundation. She was also well traveled and was said to bring her sketchbook on her travels worldwide.

Her illustrations are in the collection of the Missouri Historic Costume and Textile Collection with the University of Missouri in Columbia. She died on December 20, 2009, in Kansas City, Missouri.