debauhaus1-5, Exercise 1: Stated equality and practice

Model answer:

What the school said: in 1919 Gropius told the first students that there would be no difference between the "beautiful sex" and the "strong sex", and women were admitted in large numbers from the start, which was unusual for German art schools (check the wording and the numbers).

What happened in practice: within a year or two the masters grew concerned about how many women had enrolled, and many were steered towards the weaving workshop (sometimes called the women's department) and away from architecture and the heavy crafts (check the decision and its date). Women were seldom among the masters; Gunta Stölzl is usually cited as the one woman to hold a teaching post of that rank.

Why weaving is seen as both a limit and an opportunity: it was a limit because it was a "minor" craft in the school's hierarchy and women were channelled into it. It was an opportunity because industry wanted textile designs, the workshop earned money for the school, and the weavers were left relatively free to experiment with new materials, so some of the school's most innovative work came from there (check the details). Historians stress that both readings can be true at once.