Elzona Partney Bresnahan

Elzona Partney Bresnahan was a craftsperson and the first woman engraver in St. Louis. She attended Cleveland High School in St. Louis, taking two years of fashion design courses, and also took fashion design courses at the Young Women’s Christian Association.

She began her career as a craftsperson in 1916, when a family friend suggested she become an engraver’s apprentice. She became an apprentice at the Eisenstadt Manufacturing Company and was mentored by Edwin O. Kiessig.  Despite her expertise, she was one of very few women in the industry and reported encountering significant pushback from men in the field due to her gender.

After twenty-seven years at Eisenstadt, Bresnahan opened her own shop in 1943 in the Equitable Building in downtown St. Louis. A master engraver, Bresnahan produced a wide range of engravings, such as wedding rings, trophies and caskets. Bresnahan died in 1975 in St. Louis, Missouri.