Textile

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.

Lipska experimented with using many different kinds of fabrics for her embroidery designs, including leather. Here, paper-thin kidskin leather in electric blue and vibrant red is used. The sample shows different stitches being used to apply the appliqués as well, chain stitch and Lipska's signature whip stitch, perhaps as an experiment in the aesthetic of each stitch. The modern feel of the design is also a signal of Lipska's work, as she was inspired by several movements, such as Cubism and Futurism.