Speaker Series Luncheon: Victoria Lautman presents New Aspect of Charles and Ray Eames | May 6

Monday, May 6, 2024 — 11:30 am

Charles and Ray Eames, LA’s legendary husband and wife design team, are renowned for their innovative home, collectible furniture, and ground-breaking films among many other contributions. But few people are aware of their lengthy, transformative journey to India in 1958 at the request of Jawaharlal Nehru, who sought their advice on creating a national institute of design, an institution that continues today.

Cultural journalist Victoria Lautman, in her research through the Library of Congress, has discovered thousands of photographs, letters and shopping receipts from The Eameses’ initial excursion that they used to hammer out The India Report. “This slice of their very well documented lives has been overlooked,” she says. “It shows a completely different side of the Eameses than anyone is familiar with!”

We at The Ebell will be amongst the first to learn about this new facet of the couple’s lives. Lautman, the author of the groundbreaking book, The Vanishing Stepwells of India, is an Ebell member and veteran Chicago radio host on the arts. Her numerous trips to the subcontinent continue to yield astounding discoveries.