Letter from Emiile Flöge to Johanna (Klimt?), undated

This letter under the company letterhead of “Flöge Sisters Vienna Casa Piccola” was sent by Emilie Flöge (1874–1952) who operated in partnership with her sisters the Flöge Sisters ladies’ fashion salon in Vienna from 1904. The addressee was in all probability Johanna Zimpel, née Klimt (1873–1950), Gustav Klimt’s (1862–1918) youngest sister, who was married to Julius Zimpel (1865–1930), an accountant. The subject of the letter presumably is the sale of a drawing from the estate of Gustav Klimt, as Flöge mentions Schillings, which was the new Austrian currency as of 1924. Flöge and her sister Helene Klimt, née Flöge (1871–1936), waived part of their commission. The sale was made through Würthle Gallery. Beyond that, Flöge writes that she would also chip in some Christmas money. Contained in the holdings of Leopold Collection II are nearly 200 written documents from the correspondence between Klimt and Flöge alone.

EF, 2021