Elna M. de Neergaard (September 7, 1872 – June 26, 1946) was a Danish-American textile artist and inventor. De Neergaard, who studied weaving in Sweden, designed and patented handlooms in the United States.[1] De Neergaard was associated with the Arts and Crafts movement in New York and Boston; she lived in New York[2] and Connecticut where she also taught weaving. Most notable of her patented looms are the Tawido (tawidō, or proto-norse: ᛏᚨᚹᛁᛞᛟ) table, bedside, and belt looms.[3] For a time, de Neergaard's Tawido looms were constructed in Sweden at the Önnestads Folk High School (Önnestads Folkhögskola).[4]
Elna was an active member of The National Society of Craftsmen,[5] the Society of Arts and Crafts Boston,[2] and the Needle & Bobbin Club.[6]