Bauhaus
Staatliches Bauhaus, commonly referred to as the Bauhaus, was an art and crafts school in Germany. The Bauhaus was founded by Walter Gropius in Weimar in 1919. During its existence between 1919 and 1933, the school occupied three locations in Germany: Weimar (1919-1925); Dessau (1925-1932); and Berlin (1932-1933). Gropius' Bauhaus Manifesto, published in April 1919, sought to unify art, craft, and technology, and revolutionize the way in which traditional art schools operated. The conclusion of the Manifesto read: "Let us strive for, conceive and create the new building of the future that will unite every discipline, architecture and sculpture and painting, and which will one day rise heavenwards from the... more.
We have 3 objects that Bauhaus has been involved with.
![Prospectus, Bauhaus Bücher (Bauhaus Books]](https://images.collection.cooperhewitt.org/358848_d4c027e7bd0c3fee_n.jpg "Prospectus, Bauhaus Bücher (Bauhaus Books]")
![A vertical white lithograph postcard with three geometric shapes: a medium-sized blue triangle pointed towards the center on the upper left, a large black circle slightly right of the center and a small red square on the lower left. A variety of geometric and trigonometric lines surround the shapes in black and white with tiny black and white circles on the points of the triangle and in the center of the circle. A small white x and a small white star formed from intercrossing lines are found in the center of the square and the triangle respectively. In the upper right corner black capitalised German text reads [BAUHAUS AUSSTELLUNG], meaning [Bauhaus Exhibition] with a thick red line across the word Bauhaus. In the bottom left corner blue capitalised text reads 'WEIMAR' with a black square in the place of a full stop, while in the bottom right corner black capitalised German text reads [JULI AUGUST SEPTEMBER], [July August September] with 1923 written above in blue.](https://images.collection.cooperhewitt.org/358840_3c83e1904f5cabbd_n.jpg "Postcard, Bauhaus Ausstellung Weimar (Bauhaus Exhibition Weimar)")
![A vertical cream letterpress letterhead for the Director of the Bauhaus in Dessau. In our upper left corner lowercase German text printed and underlined in orange reads [der direktor], meaning [the director] with black lowercase German text underneath in larger font which reads [das bauhaus in dessau], meaning [of the Bauhaus in Dessau]. Underneath this German lowercase black text reads [dessau mauerstraße 36 fernruf 2696] followed by German lowercase orange text which reads [städt. kreisspark. dessau 2634 postscheck magdeburg 13701] and indicates the address of the Bauhaus in Dessau. To the left of this in smaller black lowercase German rotated ninety degrees counter-clockwise is printed [die werkstätten befinden sich dessau seilershe fabrik eingang rennstr], meaning [the workshops are located in Dessau near the factor entrance]. Underneath and to the right of this four German phrases are printed in black lower case with spacing between each to take up the length of the letterhead; first [ihre zeichen], meaning [your signs], then [ihre nachtricht vom], meaning [your message from], followed by [unsere zeichen], meaning [your signs] and finally [tag], meaning [day]. Underneath [ihre zeichen] in slightly larger orange lowercase German is printed betreff, meaning [subject]. In our bottom left corner in lowercase orange German [bauhausdruk bayer] is printed rotated ninety degrees counter-clockwise. To the right and beneath this in lowercase orange German is printed; [versuch einer vereinfaschtri schreibweise: 1. diese schreibweise wird von allen neuerern der schrift als unsere zukunftschrift empfohlen. vergl das buch “sprache und schrift” von dr porstmann verlag des vereins deutscher ingenieure berlin 1920. 2. durch kleinschreibung verliert unsere schrift nichts, wird aber leichter lesbar, leichter lernbar, wesantlich wirtschaftlicher. 3. warum für einen laut z.b. a zwei zeichen A und a? ein laut ein zeichen. warum zwei alfabete für ein wort, warum die doppelte menge zeichen, wenn die hälfte dasseibe erreicht?], meaning [Try a simplification spelling: 1. This spelling is recommended by all newer writers as our future font. C.f. the book “Language and Writing by Dr Porstmann published by the Association of German Engineers in Berlin 1920. 2. Using lower case our writing loses nothing but becomes easier to read, easier to learn and essentially more economical. 3. Why for one letter should there be two characters e.g. A and a? Why two alphabets for each letter, why double the number of characters when half reaches the same?]](https://images.collection.cooperhewitt.org/358860_2d53e5c5c800f5ad_n.jpg "Letterhead, Der Direktor, Das Bauhaus in Dessau, 1925")
![A vertical gouache postcard with a large orange rectangle taking up the majority of the space, the rectangle is largely filled with three beige cubes with black shadows decreasing in size from top to bottom, the largest cube veering towards the right, the medium sized cube veering towards the left and the smallest cube placed in the center. Black capitalised German text is written underneath in a small beige field which reads [BAUHAUS AUSSTELLUNG WEIMAR IUNI - SEPT. 23], meaning [Bauhaus Exhibition Weimar June to September 1923.](https://images.collection.cooperhewitt.org/358837_0003703c3e7762d2_n.jpg "Design For Postcard, Bauhaus Ausstellung Weimar (Bauhaus Exhibition Weimar), 1923")
