Textile Design with Egyptian Motifs for Simpson, Inc.

Design for a textile pattern created by Ludwig Bemelmans for American Fashion and Fabrics, a series of "fashion promenades", held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in March and April of 1945. The "promenades" or fashion shows were conceived to encourage a greater attention towards fabric as an integral element of fashion as an art form. The event was curated by Lee Simonson, who brought together contemporary artists, textile manufactures, and fashion designers. They developed new pattern designs based on objects from the collection of the Museum, which were then used as the basis for costumes. During the "promenades", all three were shown together, illuminating the design process. Bemelmans based his textile pattern design on several objects from the Egyptian collection, in particular two pieces of Pre-Dynastic pottery dating from the Naqada II period (3650-3300 BC). The gazelles and flamingos were taken from a large jar (20.2.10), and the motif of a water lily likely derived from another, slightly smaller jar (99.4.137). Bemelmans combined the two motifs into an overall pattern that was executed in two colorways by Wesley Simpson, Inc. The fashion designer Claire McCardell used the textile for a dress and a playsuit.