Handmade concertina album made by students of the Modescule der Stadt Wien in Vienna appealing to designer Oskar Kokoschka for help in purchasing art supplies (Addition 71)

Extent:
0.04 Cubic Feet illustrated album
Scope and content:

This addition to MSS 16758, The University of Virginia Collection on the History of Childhood, Parenting, and Family Building, contains a handmade fundraising appeal concertina album to the artist Oskar Kokoschka. The book was created by design students at the Modeschule der Stadt Wien (Fashion School of Vienna). In 1946, the school relocated to Schloss Hetzendorf, an eighteenth-century palace that sustained significant damage during the Second World War.Students were pressed to raise money for their art supplies amid the renovations. This fundraising appeal was addressed to exiled Austrian artist Oskar Kokoschka, known for his contributions to expressionism. The album contains hand-cut stencil letters, hand-colored illustrations, and collages of paper, felt, yarn, tin foil, leather, and chipboard. The book reads: "Dear O.K. [Oscar Kokoschka] / if we would have brushes and colours to paint / coloured paper for handykraft / wools to weave / leather for gloves and bags / felt for millinery/magazines to get suggestions / spezial [sic] books for library/material for dressmaking / then all would be OK. Photographs of the students at rest and at work sewing, trimming, painting, weaving, and drawing are pasted on the verso of each collage. Kokoschka fled Vienna, Austria under the Nazi regime and never returned. It is unknown whether he responded to this appeal from the Modeschule students.

Language:
English German
Acquisition information:
This collection was a purchase from Honey and Wax Booksellers to the Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia Library on 30 August, 2024.
Physical facet:
album
Places:
Women students

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400110
160 McCormick Rd
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Brenda Gunn
Phone: (434) 924-1037
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968
Restrictions:

This collection is open for research.

Parent restrictions:
The collection is open for research use.
Parent terms of access:
This collections contains some in-copyright material. Visit our Permissions and Publishing page (https://library.virginia.edu/special-collections/services/publising). For more information about use of Special Collections materials. The library can contain copyright material on request, but users are responsible for making their own determination about lawful use of collection materials.
Preferred citation:

MSS 16758 , The University of Virginia Collection on the History of Childhood, Parenting, and Family Building Addition 71, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia Library.