Fashion Figurine. From the Portfolio “Mode Wien 1914/5”, page X [Selection from two Portfolios], 1914/15

In 1911, the Wiener Werkstätte established its own fashion department. The impetus behind this was the idea of the Gesamtkunstwerk, which was supposed to encompass all areas of life. Aside from other artists, textile and enamel artist, graphic designer and painter Marie Likarz-Strauss (1893–1971) also contributed a number of designs for the art-print portfolio collection Vienna Fashion 1914/15, comprised of a total of 12 portfolios. The first one, from which this print is taken, had a print run of 100, while of all the others only 50 copies were printed. These small numbers illustrate that these portfolios were made less for collectors than for interested customers as presentation images in the sales outlets and studios of the Wiener Werkstätte.

MR, 2023