Edith Schiele (1893–1918) is looking confidently, almost coquettishly, at the camera. Dressed in a long, dark skirt, a blouse with a geometrical pattern, what looks like a fox fur stole and a hat, she can be seen posing like a mannequin in Egon Schiele’s (1890–1918) studio. To the right, we can discern another female figure, perhaps her sister Adele Harms (1890–1968).
We know that Schiele’s sister “Gerti” worked as a model for the Wiener Werkstätte, and Adele Harms, too, likely worked for some time at a shop run by the Viennese company. Both Egon and Edith Schiele were interested in modern fashion, and were in close contact with the head of the Wiener Werkstätte’s fashion department, Eduard Wimmer-Wisgrill (1882–1961). A more precise formal comparison has allowed for the light and dark pattern of her blouse to be linked to the fabric
Rax designed by the Wiener Werkstätte artist Dagobert Peche (1887–1923). It is yet another confirmation of Schiele’s close affiliation with the famous Viennese collective of visual artists.
KJ, 2024
