Slawa Duldig
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Slawa Duldig née Horowitz (28 November 1901– 16 August 1975) was an inventor, artist, interior designer, and teacher. In 1929, as Slawa Horowitz, she patented a design for an improved compact folding umbrella. Duldig was the wife of the
modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...
sculptor Karl (Karol) Duldig and the mother of Eva de Jong-Duldig, a champion Australian tennis player. Her art works and those of her husband are displayed at the Duldig Studio, an artists' house museum in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
, Australia founded by their daughter.


Early years

Slawa Horowitz was born in Horocko, Poland, the daughter of Nathan and Antonia ('Toni') Horowitz. At the time, her father was the director of a flour mill in the nearby city of
Lwow Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...
. Her maternal grandparents, the Meisels, were local landowners and operated a mixed farm. In 1911, concerned by increasing political unrest, the Horowitz family relocated from Poland to
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
, Austria. Slawa attended a convent school and showed early promise as a pianist. The three Horowitz children were to follow creative pursuits, with Slawa becoming an artist and designer, her sister Aurelie ('Rella') an actress, and brother Marek, a lawyer who also wrote poetry and composed music.


Education

On leaving school, Slawa received training in the
fine arts In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creativity, creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function ...
at the Viennese School for Women and Girls. From 1922 to 1925, Slawa studied with the Viennese sculptor, Anton Hanak, an affiliate of the late nineteenth-century
Vienna Secession The Vienna Secession (; also known as the Union of Austrian Artists or ) is an art movement, closely related to Art Nouveau, that was formed in 1897 by a group of Austrian painters, graphic artists, sculptors and architects, including Josef Ho ...
artistic movement and friend of the founder,
Gustav Klimt Gustav Klimt (14 July 1862 – 6 February 1918) was an Austrian symbolist painter and a founding member of the Vienna Secession movement. His work helped define the Art Nouveau style in Europe. Klimt is known for his paintings, murals, sket ...
. In 1929, she graduated from the Akademie der Bildenen Künste Wien (Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna), as the student of Professor Hans Bitterlich, a sculptor. In 1926, her clay sculpture 'Mother and Child' was commended by the Kurjer Lwow (''Lwow Courier'' newspaper) in an exhibition of the work of Professor Bitterlich's students at the
Vienna Künstlerhaus The Künstlerhaus in Vienna's 1st district has accommodated the Künstlerhaus Vereinigung since 1868. It is located in the Ringstrassenzone in between Akademiestraße, Bösendorferstraße and Musikvereinsplatz. The building was erected betwee ...
.


Invention of the folding umbrella

In 1928, following a wet-weather visit to the
Kunsthistorisches Museum The Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien ( "Vienna Museum of art history, Art History", often referred to as the "Museum of Fine Arts, Vienna") is an art museum in Vienna, Austria. Housed in its festive palatial building on the Vienna Ring Road, i ...
, Vienna, Slawa conceived the idea for a manageable, handbag-sized folding umbrella. She reflected on the event in later life, "'It happened
hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...
one May morning, a cold and rainy day, I armed myself with a big umbrella and muttered to myself, 'Why on earth must I carry this utterly clumsy thing? Can't they invent a small folding umbrella which could be easily carried in a bag?'" Slawa sought to remedy the problem of cumbersome umbrellas with much ingenuity and the support of her parents, sister Rella and close friend Karl Duldig. She drafted designs and obtained umbrella spokes from an industrial source on the pretext that she was designing a lampshade. She engaged a watchmaker to assist with the manufacturing process, bought some black silk fabric, made a pattern, and attached the silk to a shaft and spokes. Karl Duldig suggested that the handle be widened to enable the spokes to fit inside. From this, the prototype of a modern folding umbrella emerged. With money loaned by her father to engage Viennese patent attorney Ing. Josef Hess, Slawa filed a
patent application A patent application is a request pending at a patent office for the grant of a patent for an invention described in the patent specification and a set of one or more claim (patent), claims stated in a formal document, including necessary officia ...
for the umbrella design. Patent applications were sent to the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Italy, France, Poland, and the United States. A patent, Specification 318,577, was issued on 19 September 1929. In the words of Helen Kiddell, 'The umbrella that Slawa patented had a telescopic handle, allowing it to be made more compact. The metal ribs which formed the skeleton under the black silk covering, were innovatively designed to fold up.' The umbrella was commercially branded 'Flirt.' It was manufactured by the firm of Brüder Wüster in Austria, and Kortenbrach und Rauh in Germany. Ten-thousand 'Flirt' umbrellas sold in the first year of production, with Slawa receiving annual royalties until 1938. 'Flirt' featured at the 1931 Vienna Spring Fair; '"…the sculptress Slawa Horowitz has invented a magic umbrella that can be folded so small it can fit in a handbag…"' enthused a reporter of the ''Neuigkeits Welt Blatt'' (''New World Paper'').


Family

Slawa married Karl Duldig in 1931. Theirs was an artistic union, forged in Anton Hanak's sculpture class. Their daughter Eva Duldig was born on 11 February 1938. Slawa and Karl Duldig resided in an apartment at 2 Enzingergasse, Door 14, Vienna, which they decorated in the style of the
Wiener Werkstätte The Wiener Werkstätte ("Vienna Workshop"), established in 1903 by the graphic designer and painter Koloman Moser, the architect Josef Hoffmann and the patron Fritz Waerndorfer, was a productive association in Vienna, Austria that brought to ...
(Viennese Workshops). They commissioned furniture from the firm of Sigmund Jaray, where Slawa collaborated with the head designer, an architect, to create several significant and unique furniture pieces. Slawa's design innovations included 'red leather strapping in a lattice design for the living room chairs' and a double bed with head and foot featuring, 'small rectangular blocks of
mahogany Mahogany is a straight- grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Universit ...
and
rosewood Rosewood is any of a number of richly hued hardwoods, often brownish with darker veining, but found in other colours. It is hard, tough, strong, and dense. True rosewoods come from trees of the genus '' Dalbergia'', but other woods are often ca ...
... intended by her to replicate lace.'


War years

In 1938, following the annexation of Austria to
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
(the ''
Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...
''), a series of significant
human rights violation Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
s occurred in Vienna. These included attacks on Jewish homes and businesses, deportations of Jews to
Dachau concentration camp Dachau (, ; , ; ) was one of the first concentration camps built by Nazi Germany and the longest-running one, opening on 22 March 1933. The camp was initially intended to intern Hitler's political opponents, which consisted of communists, s ...
, the burning of all Viennese synagogues and prayer houses, and the arrests of 6,547 people. As Jewish people concerned by the potential increasing risk of harm, Slawa and Karl Duldig, with their infant child Eva, departed Vienna for Switzerland. Karl was the first of the family to arrive in Switzerland. Initially, Slawa and Eva remained in Vienna, where Slawa packed the contents of their apartment, which were entrusted to the care of her sister Rella. Slawa had received notification from '...the Nazi Gaulieter (District Superintendent)' that she must evacuate their apartment. The Nazi official offered to purchase the contents of the apartment, and was outwitted by Slawa who advised that the contents had already been sold. Slawa and her friend Melitta Despitz then conspired for Melitta to become the purchaser of the apartment's contents, in the presence of the official. Their ruse was successful, whereby Slawa managed to retain her family's belongings and entrust their care to Rella in Paris. Slawa and Eva travelled to Switzerland on temporary visas instigated by Karl and organised by Swiss immigration official Ernest Speck. In Switzerland, Slawa sold the rights of the 'Flirt' umbrella to Brüder Wüster for 1,000
Reichsmark The (; sign: ℛ︁ℳ︁; abbreviation: RM) was the currency of Germany from 1924 until the fall of Nazi Germany in 1945, and in the American, British and French occupied zones of Germany, until 20 June 1948. The Reichsmark was then replace ...
s. In May 1939, the Duldig family arrived in Singapore as refugees. Karl and Slawa set up an art school and Slawa also found employment in art restoration. With Britain declaring war on Germany, their status as foreign nationals became increasingly problematic. In July 1940 they and their baby, Eva, were expelled from Singapore as
enemy alien In customary international law, an enemy alien is any alien native, citizen, denizen or subject of any foreign nation or government with which a domestic nation or government is in conflict and who is liable to be apprehended, restrained, secur ...
s. Transported with German and Italian internees on the ''HMT Queen Mary'', they arrived in Sydney, Australia, on 25 September 1940. They were detained as in Tatura Internment Camp 3 D, northern Victoria. Karl was released from the Camp on 7 April 1942 to join the 8th Employment Company (8th. A.E.C.). Slawa and Eva remained at the Camp until 14 May 1942. With their reclassification from to on 7 December 1943, Slawa and Karl Duldig settled in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
for the remainder of their lives. Many members of Slawa's family had remained in wartime Europe. On 11 October 1944, Slawa sought news of her sister Rella through the
Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...
. On 28 November 1944, she received notification that Rella and Rella's husband Marcel Laisné were residing safely in Paris. There, Rella and Marcel had ensured the safe-keeping of the contents of Slawa and Karl's Viennese apartment during the War. A selection of the Duldig's belongings, including the Sigmund Jaray signature pieces, was shipped to Australia in 1946. They constitute part of the collection at the Duldig Studio. Slawa and Rella were re-united in Paris on 20 June 1968. Their brother Marek, father Nathan, and extended family including the Herzogs, Sobels, Wasners. and Spiegels, had '...disappeared without any trace' in wartime Europe.


Teaching career

In 1945, Slawa attained registration as a teacher of Art and German and was employed by Korowa Church of England Girls Grammar School. In 1947, she was appointed Senior Art and Craft teacher at St Catherine's Girls School, where she remained for 16 years. At St Catherine's School, Slawa was acknowledged for the depth and breadth of her teaching approach, which featured first-hand knowledge of European
Old Master In art history, "Old Master" (or "old master")Old Masters De ...
art, craft and furniture design, and innovative approaches enabling students 'free expression' and experimental approaches. Slawa was one of the first teachers in Victoria to offer Art as a
Matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term ''matriculation'' is seldom used no ...
subject. In June 1954, Slawa was one of 13 women to attend the
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
seminar, 'The Role of the Visual Arts in Education' at Melbourne University Women's College. Slawa participated in an associated working group on 'Art in Secondary Schools,' which forwarded the recommendation that Art should be accorded equal status in the schools with all other subjects. In Melbourne, in approximately 1945, Karl and Slawa Duldig started a hand-made pottery business. Karl produced the ceramics and he and Slawa were involved in their decoration. Their metropolitan Melbourne retail outlets included The Primrose Pottery Shop (which stocked works by prominent Australian artists such as
Arthur Boyd Arthur Merric Bloomfield Boyd (24 July 1920 – 24 April 1999) was a leading Australian painter of the middle to late 20th century. Boyd's work ranges from impressionist renderings of Australian landscape to starkly expressionist figuration, ...
), Light and Shade (in the Royal Arcade), and Chez Nous (in
Howey Place Howey Place, formerly known as "Cole's Walk" is a shopping arcade in Melbourne, Victoria. It is a short, narrow covered laneway, running south from Little Collins Street between Swanston Street and Elizabeth Street in the central business di ...
).


Duldig Studio

Slawa died on 16 August 1975. In accordance with her wishes, the family home and studio at 92 Burke Road, East Malvern, was preserved as the Duldig Studio museum and sculpture garden by Eva de-Jong Duldig. Within the house a number of rooms are maintained as they were during the family's residence. Karl's original studio, with kiln, tools, and work across all periods has been kept as it was left by the artist, and in the adjoining garden the bronze and terracotta sculptures also remain in situ. Prototypes of the 'Flirt' are also on display.


Family

Karl and Slawa's daughter Eva became a tennis player, and competed at the
Wimbledon Championships The Wimbledon Championships, commonly called Wimbledon, is a tennis tournament organised by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in collaboration with the Lawn Tennis Association annually in Wimbledon, London. It is chronologically the ...
in 1961 for Australia. She also played at Wimbledon in 1962 and 1963 for the Netherlands, and competed in the
Australian Open The Australian Open (stylized ΛO) is a tennis tournament organised by Tennis Australia annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. It is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Sl ...
,
French Championships The French Open (), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a tennis tournament organized by the French Tennis Federation annually at Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France. It is chronologically the second of the four Grand Slam tennis events eve ...
,
Fed Cup The Billie Jean King Cup (or the BJK Cup) is the premier international team competition in women's tennis, launched as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The name was cha ...
, and in the
Maccabiah Games The Maccabiah Games (, or משחקי המכביה העולמית; sometimes referred to as the "Jewish Olympics") is an international multi-sport event with summer and winter sports competitions featuring Jews and Israelis regardless of religion ...
in Israel where she won two
gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...
s. Eva later wrote a memoir, ''Driftwood: Escape and Survival through Art'' (Melbourne: Australian Scholarly Publishing and Arcadia, 2017) about her family's experiences. In 2017, it won a Victorian Community History Award and in 2018, it was longlisted for the Dobbie Award. Her memoir was made into a musical in 2022, entitled ''Driftwood – The Musical'', directed by Wesley Enoch. Her daughter Tania wrote some of the lyrics.
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wrote that the musical "is a remarkable story". ''
The Australian Jewish News ''The Australian Jewish News'' (''AJN'') is a newspaper published in Darlinghurst, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Since 2019, it has been a local partner of ''The Times of Israel''. History The ''AJN'' is descended from ''The Hebrew Stan ...
'' wrote: "there's no shortage of drama, heartache and lucky escape." ''
Limelight Limelight (also known as Drummond light or calcium light)James R. Smith (2004). ''San Francisco's Lost Landmarks'', Quill Driver Books. is a non-electric type of stage lighting that was once used in theatres and music halls. An intense illum ...
'' wrote that the musical was "sincere to a fault." ''
The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...
'' wrote: "Director Gary Abrahams keeps the story's emotional core vivid and convincing and Anthony Barnhill's score suits the material well. The singing is excellent.... this show has heart." Slawa's granddaughter, Tania de Jong, born in 1964, is an Australian
soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...
, social entrepreneur, and businesswoman. In 1965, after Tania's birth, the family returned to Melbourne, and after she gave birth to two more children Duldig found it challenging to maintain her tennis. After her tennis career, she worked as a recreation consultant, a writer, and a designer of children's play spaces. In 2022, Slawa's great-granddaughters Andrea and Emma de Jong ran in the
2022 Maccabiah Games The 2022 Maccabiah Games () took place in Israel from July 14–25, 2022, and are also referred to as the 21st Maccabiah Games (). The Maccabiah Games are open to Jewish athletes from around the world, and to all Israeli citizens regardless of ...
, and Emma won the 800 metres and 1,500-metre run as a junior.


Recognition

In 1977, the McClelland Gallery (now the McClelland Gallery and Sculpture Park) in Langwarrin, Australia, featured the exhibition ''Slawa Duldig – Artist Teacher Inventor''. The exhibition included examples of Slawa's drawings for the patent of the 'Flirt' umbrella, and her drawings, paintings and sculptures spanning a period from c.1915–1974. In 1978, St Catherine's School inaugurated the senior student Slawa Duldig Art Prize. Umbrellas of the 'Flirt' design continued in production during the twentieth century. Prototypes of the 'Flirt' umbrella, as created by Slawa, are held in the collections of the
Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences The Powerhouse Museum, formerly known as the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences (MAAS), is a collection of 4 museums in Sydney, owned by the Government of New South Wales. Powerhouse is a contemporary museum of applied arts and sciences, explorin ...
in Sydney and the Duldig Studio.


See also

* List of Australian artists * List of women innovators and inventors by country


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duldig, Slawa 1901 births 1975 deaths 20th-century Australian women artists 20th-century Polish women artists Academy of Fine Arts Vienna alumni Artists from Melbourne Artists from Victoria (state) Artists from Vienna Australian Jews Australian schoolteachers 20th-century Austrian Jews Jewish emigrants from Austria after the Anschluss to Australia Jewish women artists People from Shepparton 20th-century women inventors