In this model study, superlatively illustrated with period photographs and examples of surviving textiles, Professor Weltge recreates the heady atmosphere of creative excitement at the Bauhaus. Drawing upon original archival research and interviews with Bauhaus survivors, their students, and leading contemporary designers, the author details the Weaving Workshop's history and its enduring legacy.

In the early years of the Workshop, the emphasis was on hand weaving and individual artistic expression. However, following the Bauhaus exhibition of 1923, the Weaving Workshop moved to the forefront in developing prototypes for the textile industry. Eagerly embracing advanced technology, the artists incorporated new or unusual materials, produced multilayered cloths, and made extensive use of the Jacquard loom

When the Nazis closed the Bauhaus in 1933, its members dispersed to Switzerland, Holland, England, France, Russia, Mexico, and the United States, where Black Mountain College and Mill College became Bauhaus outposts. The ideals and influence of the Weaving Workshop's artists live on in marvelous fabrics still being produced today.