Zwieback. 1919.

Artist: ERNST DRYDEN (Ernst Deutsch, 1883-1938)
Size: 45 1/4 x 33 1/4 in./115 x 84.4 cm
Condition: B/ Slight tears and stains at folds.
Printer: Trattnerhof, Wien
Reference:
Key Words: Art Deco; Tapestries; Fashion

Zwieback. 1919.
With a coy sideline glance, this chic modern woman beckons your attention—lest she be whisked away on a Jazz Age magic carpet. Ludwig Zwieback & Brüder was a high-end Austrian department store founded by three Hungarian brothers in 1877; in 1906, Ella Zirner-Zwieback inherited the company, becoming a rare and successful female business owner in a male-dominated field. Ella represents a postwar countrywide shift in which the New Woman emerged: "She challenged conventional notions of femininity and sexuality by appearing in public with short hair, trousers, and an abundance of intellectual and sexual curiosity... the New Woman was typically portrayed mythically, particularly in the popular illustrations of Ernst Dryden, as 'a symbol of uniformity and cold, haughty, unattainable elegance' who responded largely to male subjectivity and desire" (Fashioning Jews, p. 84). Certainly, each of those characteristics are apparent in this provocative and lovely design.