Ilse Fehling

The archive purchased in 1990 from Ilse Fehling’s daughter Gaby is extensive and diverse. It contains albums, newspaper articles, formal invitations, theatre and film production programmes, and flyers from her exhibitions. The centrepieces are countless costume designs and photos documenting her work as a sculptor, costume designer and head set designer . She can be recognized in some of the set photos, sometimes marked by a blue arrow. This photographic work documentation focuses not on Fehling herself but on her works, which have remarkable things to share outside an art context. For instance, an easily overlooked milestone of fashion history can be found among her papers for the production ‘Liselotte von der Pfalz’ (GER, 1935, directed by Carl Froelich). It is represented by a simple piece of paper onto which is pasted a photo of actress Renate Müller dressed as Liselotte. A note in the margin states: “The first ‘strapless’ in Germany. The trend first came into ‘haute couture’ in 1936.” In fact, the armless, or rather strapless dress, created by American fashion designer Main Bocher in 1934, would not make its international debut until 1938, when it graced the cover of ‘Life Magazine’. Ilse Fehling was a versatile and skilled artist and a genuine trendsetter. (Text: Annika Haupts)