Artist,
activist, and inventor Blanche Ames, well-known for her drawings and
research in botanicals, held patents in three different fields of
innovation.
Ames had a talent and a passion for art in a
variety of mediums. In the early 1910s, she illustrated a number of her
husband’s publications on botany, including pen and ink drawings of
orchids. Around the same time, Ames and her brother developed an
extensive color notation system that allowed artists to map out the most
realistic colors for their paintings. The Ames siblings received U.S.
patent number 1,612,791 in 1927.
Blanche Ames also used her
artistic talents to promote the cause of women’s suffrage through a
number of political cartoons. Born into a political family, Ames valued
civic participation throughout her life. She lobbied extensively for
women’s suffrage in her home state of Massachusetts, and was involved in
a number of initiatives surrounding women’s health.
Ames also
holds patents for an antipollution toilet design and a propeller snare
that could trip up enemy planes, which she designed during World War II.
Learn more about Ames: http://bit.ly/3sNDtbw #WomensHistoryMonth #ValiantWomenOfTheVote
U.S. Patent no. 2,374,261