fig.: Soft head wear called 'Bodenhaube', cotton with silk gobelin stitching with gold braid; from Rybany (Western Slovakia), 19th century. Collection Emilie Flöge. Photo: medwed fotografie, (C) Österreichisches Museum für Volkskunde, Wien.

City Street Walk by Petra Unger: Emilie Flöge in Mariahilf In 1938, the 'Salon Schwestern Flöge' at the Mariahilferstrasse in Vienna had to close because most of the clients were Jewish and had to leave the city or had come into circumstances which made couture not affordable. Now, the place where once Emilie Flöge and her sister, the 'Flöge Sisters' ('Flöge Schwestern') created a new style, is one of the destinations of the route through Vienna, guided by the Austrian author and women's history researcher Petra Unger. In her new book 'Frauenspaziergänge - Entdeckungsreisen durch Wien' (März 2012, Metro-Verlag Wien), Petra Unger describes the history of Viennese women along four routes through the city. The book is the basis for an interactive experience of Vienna. On 18 May and 12 July 2012, Petra Unger organizes street walks through the district Mariahilf by following the tracks of women like fashion creator Emilie Flöge. More on petra-unger.at.

On the tracks of fashion designer Emilie Flöge

The Austrian fashion designer Emilie Flöge is theme of two events in Vienna: one is dedicated to her collection of textile samples mainly from Central Europe (such as the head wear from Slovakia with folk art stitching on this page); the other event is organized by an author and women's history researcher who guides to interesting places where women created culture.

Emilie Flöge (1874-1952) became famous for her fashion salon in Vienna. Her portrait, painted by her companion Gustav Klimt, is internationally renown.

From 25 May to 2 December 2012, the Österreichische Museum für Volkskunde (Austrian Museum of Folk Life and Folk Art) presents 369 preserved pieces from 'Emilie Flöge's Collection of Textile Samples'.

Emilie Flöge exhibited the folk art pieces in the 'Salon Schwestern Flöge' - an elegant salon with interior design items by Josef Hoffmann and Kolo Moser where the art scene met, at the Mariahilferstrasse 1b in Vienna. The textile samples "...then went on to influence the stylistic development of Art Nouveau." explains the Austrian Museum of Folk Life and Folk Art the importance of the exhibition for art and culture historians.

The exhibition team provides more information about the textiles, the motivation of Emilie Flöge to collect the samples, and Gustav Klimt's portraits that show clothing made of textiles in Art Nouveau designs on volkskundemuseum.at.

fig.: Detail of the fabric of a head piece, cotton, silk stitching; from Soporna (Slovakia), 19th century. Collection Emilie Flöge. Photo: (C) Österreichisches Museum für Volkskunde, Wien.

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