Ursula Sternberg – Hertz (1925-1980) was born in Cologne, Germany, the daughter of Walter and Dorothea Hertz. She was Jewish, and fled Germany with her family at the age of eleven because of the Nazis. At the beginning they went into hiding in the Netherlands and later, in Belgium.
Ursula spent part of this time separated from her family, hidden in a neighbour’s attic. She began painting at a very young age and later hand painted messages on handkerchiefs for American soldiers to take back home as gifts for loved ones. She went on to design for her father’s new business, Forma, which manufactured women’s undergarments and bathing suits.
When the war was over, she moved to London and worked as a textile and fashion designer for well-known brands and others, including Zika Ascher, Caprice, Forma, Franco-Suisse, O.W. Loeb and Peter Pan Foundations.
Her work is characterised by a vivid use of colour, playful motifs and symmetrical patterns. Her deep understanding of fashion and style and knowledge of how to design for textile production are also evident in her designs.
In 1957, she married Jonathan Sternberg (1919-2018), an American orchestra conductor, and moved to New York with their young family. Later settling in Chestnut Hill in Philadelphia, she continued to practice an artist and ran a local drawing group until her death in 2000.
Source: Victoria and Albert Museum
