Slawa Duldig facts for kids

Slawa Duldig (born Slawa Horowitz; 28 November 1901 – 16 August 1975) was an innovative inventor, talented artist, interior designer, and dedicated teacher. She is most famous for creating and patenting the modern compact folding umbrella in 1929. This clever everyday item was designed to be small enough to fit inside a handbag or backpack.

Along with her husband, the sculptor Karl Duldig, Slawa lived a remarkable life. Her journey took her from Central Europe to Australia, overcoming great challenges during wartime. Today, her artistic and inventive legacy is preserved in Melbourne, Australia, at the Duldig Studio museum.

The Life of Slawa Duldig: Early Years and Creative Beginnings

Slawa Horowitz was born on 28 November 1901 in Horocko, a small town in Poland. Her father, Nathan Horowitz, was a manager at a large flour mill in the nearby city of Lviv. Her mother, Antonia ("Toni") Meisels, came from a family of landowners who managed a productive mixed farm. Slawa grew up in a lively household that valued education and creativity.

Growing Up in Vienna

In 1911, Slawa's family moved to Vienna, the capital of Austria, due to growing political instability in Poland. Vienna was one of the most vibrant cultural and artistic centres in Europe at the time.

Slawa attended a convent school in the city. As a young girl, she was an exceptionally gifted pianist. Her brother and sister were also very talented:

• Slawa focused on visual arts, sculpture, and practical design.
• Her sister Aurelie (nicknamed "Rella") grew up to become a successful actress.
• Her brother Marek became a lawyer who wrote poetry and composed musical pieces.

Art Education and Sculpting Career

After finishing regular school, Slawa studied fine arts at the Viennese School for Women and Girls. She wanted to explore how three-dimensional shapes worked in physical space.

Between 1922 and 1925, Slawa studied under Anton Hanak, a celebrated sculptor linked to the Vienna Secession modern art movement. Hanak was a close friend of the famous painter Gustav Klimt.

Later, Slawa joined the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. She studied in the master class of Professor Hans Bitterlich. In 1926, her clay sculpture titled *Mother and Child* received special praise in the major regional newspaper Kurjer Lwow. Slawa graduated with full artistic honours in 1929.

How Slawa Duldig Invented the Modern Folding Umbrella

Slawa Duldig created early prototypes of her compact folding umbrella in Vienna.

Today, almost everyone has used a small, collapsible umbrella on a rainy day. Before Slawa's invention, umbrellas were long, heavy, and very clumsy to carry around when it was not raining.

The Rainy Day Spark of Inspiration

In May 1928, Slawa walked through the rain to visit the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. She carried a standard walking-stick umbrella, which felt heavy and awkward to handle.

Slawa wondered why umbrellas had to be so inconvenient. She asked herself why nobody had designed an umbrella that could fold down into a compact size. She decided to solve the problem herself using her knowledge of geometry, materials, and engineering.

Designing and Building the Prototype

Slawa turned her home into a temporary workshop. She kept the project secret so nobody would copy her concept:

• She bought umbrella spokes from a factory by pretending she was designing a new type of modern lampshade.
• She worked with a local watchmaker who understood how to craft tiny, precise metal joints and hinges.
• Slawa bought black silk fabric and carefully cut patterns to cover the frame.
• Her close friend and future husband, Karl Duldig, suggested making the handle wider so the folded spokes could tuck inside neatly.

Slawa designed a clever telescopic handle that slid into itself. She also built flexible metal ribs with hinges that folded into halves, collapsing the canopy to a fraction of its open size.

Patenting and Commercial Success

Slawa's father helped her hire a patent attorney named Josef Hess. On 19 September 1929, Slawa was granted patent Specification 318,577 for her folding umbrella. She registered the design across Europe and the United States.

Her invention was named the Flirt umbrella. A major manufacturing company called Brüder Wüster in Austria and Kortenbrach & Rauh in Germany began mass-producing it.

• Over 10,000 "Flirt" umbrellas were sold in the very first year.
• The umbrella became a sensation at the 1931 Vienna Spring Fair.
• Reporters praised the young artist for creating what seemed like a "magic umbrella."
• Slawa earned regular royalties from the sales, which helped support her artistic career.

Family Life and Interior Design in Austria

In 1931, Slawa married the sculptor Karl Duldig. The couple shared a deep passion for modern visual arts and home design.

A Stylish Modern Home

The Duldigs moved into an apartment in Vienna. They decorated it in the style of the Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshops), which focused on clean lines and functional beauty.

Slawa worked directly with furniture makers to design custom pieces:

• She created living room chairs featuring interwoven red leather straps.
• She designed a special bed using small blocks of mahogany and rosewood that looked like geometric lace.
• The apartment served as both a comfortable family home and an active art studio.

On 11 February 1938, Slawa and Karl welcomed their daughter, Eva Duldig.

Overcoming Challenges and Moving Across the World

In early 1938, political events changed life completely for the Duldig family. Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany, leading to severe hardship for Jewish families. Slawa and Karl decided they had to leave Vienna to keep their family safe.

Outsmarting Officials to Save Family Treasures

Karl travelled ahead to Switzerland to find safe lodging. Slawa stayed behind briefly in Vienna with baby Eva to pack their belongings.

When an official demanded that Slawa hand over the apartment and its custom furniture, Slawa used quick thinking. She claimed the furniture had already been bought by an acquaintance. Slawa arranged for her friend Melitta to act as the buyer right in front of the official.

Thanks to this clever plan, the furniture and artwork were safely shipped to Slawa's sister Rella in Paris. Slawa and baby Eva then boarded a train to join Karl in Switzerland.

Journeys to Singapore and Australia

In Switzerland, Slawa sold the rights to her umbrella patent to help fund their travels. In May 1939, the family journeyed to Singapore. There, Karl and Slawa opened an art school and worked on restoring historic artworks.

When World War II expanded in 1940, the British administration in Singapore relocated many European residents to Australia. The Duldig family sailed on the large ship HMT Queen Mary and arrived in Sydney in September 1940.

They were initially housed at an internment camp in Tatura, Victoria. While there, the Duldigs remained positive and helped organize classes for other families. By late 1943, the Australian government recognized them as refugees. The family was released and settled permanently in the suburbs of Melbourne.

Rebuilding Life in Melbourne

After the war ended, Slawa used the Red Cross to find out what happened to her family. She was overjoyed to learn that her sister Rella was safe in Paris.

In 1946, the family furniture and sculptures that Rella had protected in France were shipped across the ocean to Melbourne. Slawa and Rella reunited in person in Paris in 1968.

Art Education and Studio Pottery in Australia

Slawa built a second successful career in Australia as an educator, ceramic artist, and community leader.

Inspiring Young Artists as a Teacher

In 1945, Slawa became a registered teacher of Art and German. In 1947, she was appointed Senior Art and Craft Teacher at St Catherine's School in Melbourne, where she taught for 16 years.

Slawa brought European art traditions and modern ideas to Australian classrooms:

• She encouraged students to experiment with different materials and express their own ideas freely.
• She introduced art history lessons covering classical European masters.
• She was one of the first teachers in the state of Victoria to establish Art as an official final-year high school matriculation subject.

In 1954, Slawa was selected as one of only 13 women to attend an important UNESCO conference on art education at the University of Melbourne. She argued strongly that the visual arts should have equal academic standing with subjects like science and mathematics.

The Duldig Pottery Business

Starting around 1945, Karl and Slawa opened a boutique pottery business in Melbourne:

• Karl threw and sculpted the clay bowls, vases, and figures.
• Slawa painted and glazed the ceramic surfaces with modern patterns.
• Their handmade ceramics were sold in famous Melbourne design shops, including The Primrose Pottery Shop and boutiques in the historic Royal Arcade.

The Duldig Family Legacy

The Duldig family made significant contributions to sports, writing, and music in Australia.

Eva Duldig: Tennis Champion and Author

Slawa and Karl's daughter, Eva Duldig (later Eva de Jong-Duldig), grew up to become a world-class tennis player:

• She competed at the Wimbledon Championships in 1961, 1962, and 1963.
• She played in the Australian Open and the French Championships.
• She won two gold medals at the Maccabiah Games in Israel.

Later in life, Eva wrote a book about her parents' journey titled *Driftwood: Escape and Survival through Art*. In 2022, this memoir was adapted into a touring musical production called *Driftwood – The Musical*, which received high praise from theatre critics for its inspiring message of resilience.

Grandchildren and Later Generations

Slawa's granddaughter, Tania de Jong, became a well-known Australian soprano singer, speaker, and social entrepreneur who uses music to help communities. Her great-granddaughters also became competitive athletes, winning national running events at junior levels.

The Duldig Studio Museum and Historical Honours

Slawa Duldig passed away in Melbourne on 16 August 1975 at the age of 73.

The Duldig Studio

After Slawa and Karl passed away, their daughter Eva turned the family home at 92 Burke Road in East Malvern into a public museum called the Duldig Studio.

Visitors to the museum can explore:

• The original living areas filled with Slawa's custom 1930s Viennese furniture.
• Karl Duldig's sculpting studio, complete with his original clay tools and kilns.
• The sculpture garden filled with bronze and terracotta statues.
• Original early prototypes and patent sketches of the "Flirt" folding umbrella.

Awards and Exhibitions

Slawa's work continues to be celebrated by historians and artists:

• In 1977, the McClelland Gallery in Victoria held a special retrospective exhibition titled *Slawa Duldig – Artist Teacher Inventor*.
• In 1978, St Catherine's School established the annual Slawa Duldig Art Prize to reward outstanding senior art students.
• Early examples of her folding umbrella are preserved in museum collections, including the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney.

Summary of Achievements

• 1901: Born in Horocko, Poland.
• 1911: Moved to Vienna, Austria.
• 1929: Graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and patented the compact folding umbrella.
• 1931: Married sculptor Karl Duldig; "Flirt" umbrella launched commercially.
• 1938: Designed innovative furniture; escaped to Switzerland following political unrest.
• 1940: Arrived in Australia and began contributing to local arts and crafts.
• 1947: Appointed Senior Art Teacher at St Catherine's School, pioneering modern art education.
• 1975: Passed away in Melbourne, leaving a lasting legacy in art and design.

Related Pages

• List of Australian artists
• List of women innovators and inventors by country
• Industrial design
• History of art