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Ilse Fehling
Fehling-Witting, Ilse (Married name)
costume designer, set painter, sculptor
* 25.04.1896
† 25.02.1982 in Munich
After her studies in the arts, which included training at the Staatliche Bauhaus Weimar, Fehling began working as a freelancer in Berlin in 1923. Her many jobs included set design and props for theatre productions, and she also found time to work on her own sculptures, which were featured in solo exhibitions. After 1933 Fehling continued to work as a costume and set designer for theatre and film, and as of 1936, she became the head designer for Tobis. Following the Second World War, Fehling mainly produced press illustrations, sculptures and set designs.
About the Estate
Finding Aid (PDF)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)
- Content
- Photography, Hand drawing, Small object, Paper documents
- Description
- Approximate 0.4 Shelf metres
- Inv. No.
- 199021
- Credit Line
- Ilse-Fehling-Archiv, Deutsche Kinemathek
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1899–1981
Hand drawing, Paper documents
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More informationYou can use our collections for scholarly work, curatorial and publication research, or personal interest at no cost. Please get in touch with us in advance to schedule your visit. We look forward to welcoming you to our reading room.
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Get in touch
- for research
- for image use
- to schedule a visit to our reading room
- for all other questions, suggestions, and requests
Christiane Grün
+49 30 300903-45
cgruen@deutsche-kinemathek.deGunnar Gutschmidt
+49 30 300903-45
ggutschmidt@deutsche-kinemathek.de