By Rhoda Metraux on the life of Margaret Lowenfeld

Margaret Lowenfeld first visited the United States in 1950. She arrived in early April and departed for home on June 18th. In that short period – just over ten weeks – she met a great many people in various disciplines – some known only through their work, some attracted by what they had heard of her, some already old friends in a new setting. In terms of experience of a society new to her, she covered an amazing amount of ground. This visit came about largely through her very new friendship with Margaret Mead. Here I shall speak very briefly about that friendship – how it began – that visit, and one outcome – among many that were important and enduring.

Margaret Lowenfeld and Margaret Mead met in August 1948. ML (if you will allow me) had just got through an international conference on the Mosaic Test held at ICP; the participants were, I believe, British and continental European – an important thing to remember. MM (also if I may) had come to England to take part in the founding meeting of the World Federation for Mental Health, and gave there, as a cultural anthropologist, her first very widely international address. The initiative was taken by ML, who wrote a note in which she explained that as Madeleine Kerr, who had offered to introduce her, was working in Jamaica with children, she herself proposed they might meet. [1]