Biography

Renska Swart was born in McPherson, Kansas on July 21, 1882 to parents George Swart and Tjerkje Stonebrink Swart, more commonly known as Beckie. In the early 1890s the family moved to Woodburn, then Salem a few years later. While in Salem, Renska’s mother Beckie, owned a store that Renska helped out at as a teenager and young adult. During this time she also wrote several essays about local history and her opinions about women’s positions in society. Renska and her siblings were also part of The Swart Orchestra, in which Renska played the violin. In 1912 Rensja became one of the first women to register to vote in the city of Salem.

In 1915 when her mother Beckie’s shop had to close, Renska began searching for other opportunities and eventually found a way in which she could offer corset fittings at a local millinery shop. In 1916 Renska opened her own shop, known for corset fittings and ladies furnishings and was called a “corsetiere” in the town newspapers. Initially called the Style Shop, then later The Corset Shop and finally The Specialty Shop, she had to relocate to several different storefronts throughout downtown Salem. At a location in North High St she had large display windows and soon began creating thematic window displays, for Christmas, Easter and other holidays, which earned her renown from the community. During the time Renska’s shop was open she sold a variety of corsets, girdles, brassieres, stockings and offered fittings as well. She also sold perfumes, dolls, carved objects, silk and linen clothing and more specialities. Despite the reviewing success and local fame she was experiencing in Salem, she was facing some serious financial troubles and was threatened with bankruptcy, and for years had been charged with late notices and overdue accounts. In 1929 the Great Depression hit the city of Salem, and Renska was able to hold out for a few more years with several more moves and downsizes. In 1933 Renska had to close her shop for good, after 17 years of serving the women of the Salem community, she had lost nearly everything.

In 1938 she began working for the Oregon Secretary of State with a brief departure to work for the Department of Motor Vehicles in 1940 before returning to the Secretary of State’s office in 1942 where she remained until 1948. In 1953 she filed a patent for a type of card holder that would assist clerics in typing and filing cards. Later on in the 1950s and 1960s she was an active member of the Marion County Historical Society. In 1962 her house was damaged in a storm and items inside were donated to Marion County Historical Society. She died on May 24th 1963 at the age of eighty four.

Sutherland, Ross. “The Unremarkably Remarkable Life of Renska Swart, Parts I, II, and III.” Historic Marion. Marion County Historical Society, Salem OR, 2004.

Preferred Citation:

Renska Swart Collection, Willamette Heritage Center, 1963.01

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Finding Aid created by Anika Laurie, 2024

Collection Description

Renska Swart’s full collection was donated in 1963 and houses over 3000 items. In the course of research for this project I narrowed it down to around 300 items that we think are directly linked to her Specialty Shop, including former merchandise, photographs or sewing supplies. This finding aid focuses on this selection of items in their connections to the specialty shop.