Louise Noun facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Louise Frankel Rosenfield Noun
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| Born |
Louise Frankel Rosenfield
March 7, 1908 |
| Died | August 23, 2002 (aged 94) Des Moines, Iowa
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Grinnell College, Radcliffe College |
| Known for | Art collector, Iowa Civil Liberties Union |
Louise Frankel Rosenfield Noun (March 7, 1908 – August 23, 2002) was an important American woman. She was a feminist, which means she believed in equal rights for women. Louise Noun was also a social activist, working to make society better. She gave money to good causes (a philanthropist) and fought for people's rights (a civil libertarian).
Born in Iowa, Louise Noun wrote many books about the history of feminism in Iowa and the United States. She wrote four books and her own life story. She led the Iowa Civil Liberties Union from 1964 to 1972. In this role, she helped fund a famous student rights case called Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District. In 1992, she helped create the Iowa Women’s Archives at the University of Iowa. She started this important project with activist Mary Louise Smith.
Contents
Early Life & Education
Louise Frankel Rosenfield was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on March 7, 1908. Her father, Meyer Rosenfield, owned a successful department store called Younkers. Her mother, Rose Frankel Rosenfield, was very active in the community. She was involved in the women's suffrage movement in Iowa. This movement worked to get women the right to vote. Rose was good friends with Flora Dunlap, who led the Iowa Women's Suffrage Association.
Louise Noun went to West High School and then graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1925. She studied at Grinnell College and later earned her master's degree from Radcliffe College in 1933. Her master's degree was in art history.
Personal Life & Interests
Marriage & Family
In 1936, Louise married Maurice "Maurie" Noun. He was a successful skin doctor in Des Moines. After Maurice returned from World War II, they adopted a daughter named Susan in 1946. During these years, Louise Noun volunteered a lot in her community. She and Maurice divorced in 1967. Louise Noun never married again.
Collecting Art by Women
Louise Noun started collecting art when she was just thirteen years old. She received an oil painting as a birthday gift. Her interest in art grew when she studied art history in college. She began collecting art by women artists in 1963. One of the first pieces she bought was by Isabel Bishop.
Noun collected works by many famous female artists. These included Frida Kahlo, Käthe Kollwitz, and Gabriele Münter. Some artists did not like the idea of "women's only" art collections. They felt it might make women's art seem less valuable. Louise Noun later gave part of her art collection to the Des Moines Art Center.
Activism & Community Work
In 1944, Louise Noun joined the Des Moines chapter of the League of Women Voters. She became president of this group from 1948 to 1949. This was the start of her long career helping others and giving to good causes. She led the Iowa Civil Liberties Union for eight years, from 1964 to 1972. This group is now known as the ACLU of Iowa.
In the late 1960s, Louise Noun helped pay for an important U.S. Supreme Court case. This case, Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, was about students' rights. She helped fund it with her brother Joseph Rosenfield. Noun also helped start the Iowa Women's Political Caucus in 1973. She was a founding member of the Des Moines chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW). She led this group from 1972 to 1974. Louise Noun also served on many other committees. In 1989, she founded the Chrysalis Foundation. She was its president until she passed away in 2002.
Iowa Women's Archives
Louise Noun and Mary Louise Smith worked together to create the Iowa Women's Archives. This special collection is located at the University of Iowa Main Library. Louise Noun first thought of the idea in the 1960s. She was researching a book about women's suffrage in Iowa at the time.
To raise money for the archives, Noun sold a painting by Frida Kahlo. The painting, "Self-Portrait with Loose Hair," sold for 1.65 million dollars. This sale set a record for the most expensive work by a Latin American artist sold at auction. Louise Noun had originally bought the painting for $85,000 in 1983. The archives officially opened in 1992. The Louise Noun-Mary Louise Smith Iowa Women's Archives is open to everyone. It holds over 1100 collections of papers and records. These documents tell the story of women's history in Iowa and other communities.
Louise Noun Library
The Louise Noun Library was planned to open in March 2017. It is located at the Young Women's Resource Center in Des Moines.
Death
Louise Noun passed away on August 23, 2002, in Des Moines, Iowa. Her daughter had died just one day before her. Louise Noun's grandson, Jason, is her only immediate survivor.
Awards & Legacy
Louise Noun was honored for her many contributions. She was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame in 1981. She received many other awards, including:
- Arts/Humanities/Aging Honor from the Iowa Arts Council.
- Doctor of Humane Letters, an honorary degree from Cornell College in 1985.
- Doctor of Humane Letters, an honorary degree from Drake University in 1991.
- Outstanding Achievement Award in the Arts from the Iowa Arts Council in 1992.
- Peterson-Harlan Award for her long-term contributions to Iowa history in 1993.
- The Cristine Wilson Medal for Equality and Justice in 1993.
- The Des Moines Roosevelt High School Hall of Fame in 1993.
- The University of Iowa Alumni Award in 1994.
- The Philanthropic Vision Award from the Ms. Foundation in 1995.
- The Award for Lifetime Services to the Public Humanities from the Iowa Humanities Board in 1996.
