Moden Spiegel (Fashion-Mirror)
A Homage to Lieselotte Friedländer
From 1922 to 1933, artist Lieselotte Friedländer (1898–1973) created hundreds of illustrations, covers, and vignettes for Moden-Spiegel (Fashion Mirror), the weekly fashion supplement of the popular Berliner Tageblatt. Sketched in black ink, Friedländer's quick and whimsical lines capture the feminine ideal of the time—an elegant, independent woman strolling along Berlin’s famed Kurfürstendamm.
Despite being one of the most successful fashion illustrators in Berlin, Friedländer faced a drastic turn in her career in 1933. At the height of her success, she was fired from the Tageblatt due to her being classified as a “quarter-Jew” by the Nazis. Banned from practicing her profession (Berufsverbot), she managed to survive the Nazi regime by taking odd jobs. Upon returning to West Berlin in 1949, she struggled to resume her previous career, ultimately dying impoverished and largely forgotten.
Laufer's installation pays homage to Friedländer at the very location depicted in many of her illustrations, offering a glimpse into Berlin’s vibrant 1920s. This installation is part of Spuren, Hohlräume Leerstellen: jüdisches Leben am Kurfürstendamm, a series of exhibits in display boxes on Kurfürstendamm organized by the UdK in conjunction with Berlin’s cultural theme for 2013, Diversity Destroyed: Berlin 1933–1938–1945.
