Faculty

Charlotte von Hardenburgh’s curatorial work and lectures highlight the influential yet underrepresented role of women within design and her research centers these narratives to establish a more expansive and inclusive re-interpretation of design history.

She is currently the Archivist of Hosken Inc. which includes the work and personal effects of the architect Fran Hosken (Austrian, 1920–2006). One of the first women to attend Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, Hosken studied under Walter Gropius and later established Hosken Inc. which produced innovative flat-pack furniture and spring-wire jewelry. 

von Hardenburgh has secured the placement of Hosken's designs within the collections of museums and prominent individuals. Her research has been reported by The New York Times, Architectural Digest, and the famous fashion newsletter—Blackbird Spyplane.

Charlotte was previously awarded the inaugural American Women’s History Initiative Research Fellowship at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Her research contributed to the retrospective exhibition of American textile designer, Dorothy Liebes (1897 – 1972). The accompanying catalogue—published by Yale University Press—is the first-ever monographic publication about Liebes. Additionally, von Hardenburgh managed and contributed writings to Cooper Hewitt’s digital platform. This website offers more in-depth essays on many of the projects presented in the Liebes exhibition, as well as new stories unique to the platform.

In addition to her curatorial work, von Hardenburgh teaches undergraduate history courses at Parsons School of Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology. Charlotte regularly lectures at various notable institutions including Yale University, Rhode Island School of Design, and the Instituto Cervantes.

In January 2023, she developed a course for Parsons titled, “a History of Typography” which explores typographic developments through the lens of graphic design history. The class visits museums and archives—such as the New York Public Library, and Cooper Hewitt—to interact with historic examples of typography. The course also focuses on craft so that students have an opportunity to learn stone-carving, calligraphy, and typesetting as they relate to historic typographic processes.

Charlotte is a graduate of the History of Design and Curatorial Studies MA program offered jointly by Parsons School of Design and Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. She also holds a graduate certificate in Gender and Sexuality Studies from The New School for Social Research.

MA, History of Design and Curatorial Studies, Parsons School of Design

Graduate Certificate, Gender & Sexuality Studies, The New School for Social Research

BFA, Graphic Design, Northeastern University