[8 Wiener Werkstätte labels and tags]

Here’s a collection of eight original Wiener Werkstätte labels and tags that offers a rare look into the operational logistics and visual identity of the famous Viennese design cooperative that was active from 1903 to 1932. The grouping features two distinct categories of printed material: official branding seals and functional inventory tracking labels. The anchors of the set include two classic labels bearing the iconic “WW / WIEN ENTWURF” (Vienna Design) graphic mark designed by Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser. The remaining six items are inventory tags printed with neat and orderly form fields—such as Dessin (Pattern/Design), Marke (Brand/Name), Meter (Meters [as in length]), Breite (Width), Qualität (Quality), and Preis (Price)—used primarily by the Wiener Werkstätte textile and haberdashery departments. Handwritten in ink and pencil across the labels are specific historical pattern names, including Zuiderzee, Golde, Alpenveilchen, Zara, Herzblüten, and Gloggnitz. Together, these small printed artifacts demonstrate the workshop’s commitment to total design, extending its rigorous geometric aesthetic even to internal commercial packaging and inventory management.

In an effort to make these as interesting as possible, we’ve done our best to track down what these labels were actually labelling. The number in bold corresponds to the number in our pics above. We’ve included links to pics of the relevant fabrics when we could find them. Catalogue numbers come from Angela Völker’s Textiles of the Winer Werkstätte (Thames & Hudson, 2004) but we can’t figure out what catalogue to which she’s referring.)

1
Olympia, 1911–17
Designed by Dagobert Peche (Austrian, 1887–1923)
Firms involved in production: Ziegler
Wiener Werkstätte number: 427
Known color combinations: 5
Block printed
Cat. No. 788

2
[Unknown]

3
Zara, 1926
Designed by Klara Posnanski (Austrian)
Firms involved in production: Posnanski
Wiener Werkstätte number: 5084
Known color combinations: 1
Spray painted
Cat. No. 913

4
Alpenvielchen, 1920–21
Designed by Felice Rix-Ueno (Austrian, 1893–1967)
Firms involved in production: Ziegler
Wiener Werkstätte number: 797
Known color combinations: 13
Block printed
Cat. No. 959

5
Gloggnitz, 1910–12
Designed by Gustav Kalhammer (Austrian, 1886–1919)
Firms involved in production: Ziegler
Cat. No. 417

6
Dolde, 1910–11
Designed by Franz von Zülow (Austrian, 1883–1963)
Cat. No. 1317

7
Herzblüten
Designed by Kopriva
Cat. No. 424

8
Zuidersee
Designed by Friederike Löw-Lazar (Austrian, 1891–1975)
Cat. No. 672