Textiles

The textile collection of the Bauhaus-Archiv contains works produced in Weimar, Dessau and Berlin and thus serves to document the textile workshop’s development over time – from creating individual artistic pieces to operating a production workshop. The collection includes numerous workpieces, as well as weaving and knotting samples by Anni Albers, Otti Berger, Benita Koch-Otte, Margarete Leischner, Grete Reichardt and Gunta Stölzl, all of whom succeeded in applying their expertise to teaching and practical occupations outside of the Bauhaus.

A special focus of the collection is the extensive documentation of the workshop area, featuring designs, weaving samples, fabric patterns, photos and written documents produced during class. The textile collection of the Bauhaus-Archiv is a unique source for this field of design history, enabling visitors to better understand the works in connection with teaching methods and biographical documents. The design processes and theoretical considerations are just as evident as the aspirations and failures of women in the 1920s to achieve professional and personal emancipation.