A thriving tradition of block hand printing
While block hand printing may not be traditionally 'ladylike' work, it was a woman who brought block hand printing to Aussee in 1930. Anna Mautner, widow of the greatest collector of traditional costumes in Ausseerland, was determined to protect the quality of regional costumes from the tasteless merchandise of mass production. This lady of Viennese society built up a collection of old wooden pattern blocks and asked a block printer to teach her the technique. She brought her own artistic flair with her and, thanks to new synthetic dyes, she soon progressed from indigo print to colour print. Her cloths and fabrics perfectly complemented the national costume and soon found acclaim amongst Frau Mautner’s exclusive social circle and throughout Aussee.
Martina Reischauer eventually took over the business from Anna Mautner. She owns not only the printing blocks from the early days but a collection of Frau Mautner’s patterns. These provide endless inspiration for her work and experimentation – as do her customers’ own imaginations. Each client can create a Dirndl that is completely unique, choosing the pattern and colour of the fabric themselves before it is hand printed for them. Leather and Loden cloth can both be printed and tailored into elegant jackets and skirts. Clients especially appreciate the fine silks, which are made into delicate aprons, shawls, and waistcoats.
Three more workshops participate in the art of hand block printing in Bad Aussee. Each of them – Wach, Sekyra, Eder, and Mautner – have their own signature: Sepp Wach is the most committed to tradition, Markus Wach at Handdruck Sekyra brings contemporary design and pastel tones to the Alpine theme, and Christiane Eder amazes with her interplay of non-conformity and tradition to create, in her words, a "spiky" result. But still, the fabrics from Mautner printing works under Martina Reischauer continue to draw attention with their classic elegance and brilliant colours.
