Habit à la disposition

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.

Unlike some of the other samples in Crawford's collection which simply display a type of embroidery, this example is an unfinished jacket. The placement of the embroidered sections allows the viewer to visualize the process of making a garment. The Asian-inspired motifs, including a couple riding in a junk to the beating of a drum and Chinese-inspired medallions, and the kimono styling are illustrative of the interest in non-Western cultures of the period.