Collection of Wiener Werkstätte graphic design ephemera

Vienna: Wiener Werkstätte, 1918. Seven iconic and ephemeral examples of graphic design produced by the Wiener Werkstätte. Founded in 1903 by Koloman Moser and Josef Hoffmann, two key members of the Vienna Secession, the Werkstätte was dedicated to raising standards of design and craftsmanship in every aspect of daily life. The workshop emphasized geometric symmetry over surface ornament, and promoted the ideal of Gesamtkunstwerk, the total work of art, in projects that ranged from large-scale architectural commissions to the production of modernist ceramics, textiles, and furniture. The examples of Werkstätte ephemera collected here include different uses of Koloman Moser’s square architectural WW logo, as well as his Rose Signet design, the Werkstätte’s registered trademark. Also present are an admission ticket for the 1908 Kunstschau Wien, the groundbreaking Vienna arts and crafts exhibition that introduced the Werkstätte’s mission to a wider audience, organized by Gustav Klimt, and an unused voucher for the Werkstätte’s shops on Kärntner Strasse. A near-fine collection of Wiener Werkstätte ephemera, landmarks of modernist graphic design. Seven pieces of printed ephemera: 1) WW logo printed in black on paper, designed by Koloman Moser, measuring 1.5 inches square. 2) Sheet of wrapping paper with repeating WW logo printed in black, designed by Koloman Moser, measuring 11.5 x 8 inches. 3) Sheet of wrapping paper with repeating yellow Rose Signet pattern, designed by Koloman Moser, measuring 11.5 x 8 inches. 4) Sheet of Wiener Werkstätte ledger paper, designed by Koloman Moser, printed in blue with WW logo and Neustiftgasse 32 address. 5) Mailing envelope with WW logo, designed by Koloman Moser, measuring 3.25 x 5 inches. 6) Admission ticket for the Kunstschau Wien 1908, designed by Bertold Löffler, measuring 5.75 x 8.25 inches. 7) Voucher for the Wiener Werkstätte shops on Kärntner Strasse, designed by Maria Likarz-Strauss, measuring 5.75 x 8.25 inches. Light wear and occasional soft creasing, primarily to wrapping paper. (Inventory #: 1004079)