Bodice

This object is from a collection of sample embroideries, which was originally owned by Morris de Camp Crawford, editor of Women's Wear Daily, who collected objects which told the story of fashion and fabric history. Included in this collection was a group of textiles which illustrated what American and French designers and manufacturers were using. According to Crawford's book The Ways of Fashion, the work of Polish artist Sarah Lipska (1882-1973) was represented in this collection. Lipska is an enigmatic figure, who is known to have worked with Leon Bakst as a set and costume designer for the Ballets Russes, and later in the 1920s as a fashion designer in Paris at 4 rue Belloni, and finally as a sculptor. Extant examples of her work are rare. Although only a few pieces in the Brooklyn Museum collection bear a label or a signature, others bear hallmarks of her work, such as a distinctive form of whip stitching on appliqué work, unusual abstract motifs, and Cubist-inspired patterns.

Another example from the Crawford collection of a garment in an unfinished state, this unfinished bodice exhibits several marks of Lipska's work. One signifier is the abstract, Cubist-inspired patterns. The jagged motifs featured on this piece are reminiscent of fanciful flower forms. The linen tag which reads "Gladiole" probably references the artistic stylized flower forms present. The whip stitch technique used to apply the appliqués is also often seen in Lipska's work. Myrbor, the French couture house that employed many artists as clothing and textile designers, produced many pieces that feature motifs similar to those seen on this bodice, and its possible Lipska designed this embroidery for the house.