A celebration of color, imagination and timeless design, Milwaukee Art Museum presents Lois Ehlert x Florence Eiseman, a 4-piece capsule collection.
Shop 2 looks
Shop 2 looks
Shop 2 looks
Growing Little Minds brings together the work of two beloved Milwaukee design innovators: children’s clothing designer Florence Eiseman and acclaimed author and illustrator Lois Ehlert.
Before she became a celebrated children’s book author and illustrator, Lois Ehlert's creative work was already part of the Florence Eiseman story.
Ehlert created several original appliqués for Florence Eiseman garments, bringing the bold shapes, joyful color and playful imagination that would later become hallmarks of her beloved books to children’s clothing.
Friend, neighbor, and creative partner to the Milwaukee Art Museum for over 50 years, Ehlert generously donated royalties from the sale of her books as an endowment for the Museum's learning & engagement department to support educational programs in perpetuity.
Together, these relationships tell a distinctly Milwaukee story of art, childhood, craftsmanship, and creativity.
Ehlert’s connection to Florence Eiseman extended beyond garment design. She created the brand’s iconic flower logo and later designed the catalog for a Florence Eiseman retrospective at the Milwaukee Art Museum—another chapter in the shared history of Ehlert, Eiseman, and the Museum.
our storybook inspiration
From Page to Pattern
Growing Vegetable Soup, Lois Ehlert’s beloved celebration of gardening and color, was a natural inspiration for this collection. With permission from HarperCollins, we brought a piece of the book into the designs by featuring its cheerful tomato artwork on one of our dresses.
Lois Ehlert x Florence Eiseman
Made for a New Generation
Decades after Lois Ehlert first brought her creativity to Florence Eiseman, her artwork returns for today’s children.
Growing Little Minds carries a colorful piece of shared Milwaukee history forward for a new generation to wear, love, and remember.
Featured product
Carry a little creativity wherever you go with the Growing Little Minds canvas tote, created to celebrate the shared story of Florence Eiseman and Lois Ehlert.
One side features the Growing Little Minds logo, while the reverse showcases Ehlert’s iconic tomato artwork from Growing Vegetable Soup, used with permission from Harper Collins. Made from sturdy 10 oz natural canvas, this classic tote measures 15" wide by 15" high with a 5" gusset, offering plenty of room for books, everyday essentials, or treasures collected along the way.
A playful and practical keepsake from the collection, it makes a thoughtful gift for readers, art lovers, and families who appreciate joyful design.
