Das Kleid der Frau (The Woman's Dress)
Darmstadt; Leipzig: Verlags-Anstalt Alexander Koch, [1903]. First edition. Hardcover. Large quarto (11 1/2 x 8 1/4"). 99, [5]pp. Original beige paper-covered boards with gilt lettering and ruling on cover. Illustrated title page. Laid in a photogravure (11 1/8 x 7 3/4") of German actress of the silent era Henny Porten (Photo by Becker & Maß, Berlin), with small stamp of Meester-Film, Berlin, in lower right corner. A photograph of presumably of Anna Döhmann (5 3/4 x 4 1/8"), as stated in pencil on verso, with tissue guard. An announcement to honor the poet Walter von Molo on his 70th birthday, with b/w offset portrait of von Molo, and one letter size note signed Maria Schmelzer, 1925.
Alfred Mohrbutter’s was a designer and a promoter of the Artistic Dress, a movement that rejected fashion in favor of beautiful materials and simplicity of design. It arguably developed in Britain in the early 1850s, influenced by artistic circles such as the Pre-Raphaelites, and Dress Reform movements.
In his books and essays, Mohrbutter initiated a thorough and detailed campaign to emphasize the dangers of fashion, and proposed to counter them with a timeless garb that was designed by adhering to basic aesthetic principles. These principles included an appreciation of the female form's natural beauty, a concern for women's bodily health while stressing the garment's logical structure and ornament.
By 1901 he had established a relationship with the fashion house Gerson and sold his work via the larger business. His 1903 book, "Das Kleid der Frau" (The woman's dress) functions as a catalog for his business. Twenty-two of the 55 b/w photographs in the book represent his own designs, so are 12 b/w hand-drawn illustrations. Perhaps most commercial are the book’s eight stunning tipped-in color plates (at center) depicting models which illustrate the thirty-two fabric combinations available through Mohrbutter. The thirty-two fabric combinations are reproduced in another set of eight color plates at rear with four additional b/w pages of advertisements for titles of the Koch Verlag.
Text in German. Binding with light sunning along edges, lightly rubbed and some light staining at bottom of front cover. Interior in overall very good condition. Very good condition. Item #55063
Price: $1,500.00