Black Pouch with sewed-on white textile bands from the possession of Emilie Flöge, c. 1912

Emilie Flöge (1874–1952), Pauline Flöge (1866–1917), and Helene Klimt (1871–1936) (née Flöge), the widow of Ernst Klimt (1864–1892), Gustav Klimt’s (1862–1918) brother, owned and operated the Flöge Sisters fashion salon, established 1904, its interior decoration designed as a Gesamtkunstwerk by Josef Hoffmann (1870–1956). The furnishings were kept in black and white with geometric austerity. The Black Pouch with sewed-on white textile bands of around 1912 from the possession of Emilie Flöge also shows this color combination. Numerous other designs by Hoffmann and Koloman Moser (1868–1918) are also informed by the predilection for black and white.

EF, 2021