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Anna Nef, former student
of Helene Weidenmüller, now taught needlework and
some special courses in wool embroidery, fine whitework
embroidery and coloured embroidery. Drawing and painting
classes were given by Elise Rüdin, also a former
student. The collaboration with machine embroidery is not
mentioned any longer, and Anna Nef now pursued now the
aim of moving "from the merely dilettantish way of
doing things towards well-founded expertise".
The students were still called dilettantes but this name
was soon changed into that of "professional
students". The ladies were successful at the Swiss
National Exhibition of 1896 in Geneva, where they won a
golden medal. Unfortunately it is not absolutely clear
which works were done during Anna Nef's time. Some dated
embroideries of the late 1890s still show the
influence of historism. Both in machine embroidery
and in hand embroidery, too, we find art nouveau only
as an exception. On the other hand, the influence
of Japan and its decorative art can be traced. Very
probably this influence came from magazines like "Le
Japon artistique", published in Paris by Samuel
Bing. This magazine could be found in the library of
St.Gallen from its first number in 1888.
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Anna Nef left the school in
autumn 1896 because of her marriage. She was followed by
Anna Schelling (1873-1960). She was also a former
student of the school and she stayed there until her
retirement in 1935. The success in Geneva in 1896
brought an increase in the number of students. In 1900
the class won a "grand prix" in Paris and
later on a silver medal at the national exhibition of
Berne in 1914. Since December 1905 the wish
of the former teacher Anna Nef could be realised and
after a two year course the regular female students could
sit an exam for a diploma in embroidery. Anna
Schelling worked out a training programme which remained
virtually unchange until her retirement in 1935. This can
be seen from the work of former students which was
bequeathed to the museum's collections from several
estates. In the 1940s the classes lost their popularity
and in 1961 the artistic embroidery department was
closed.
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