(Adèle) Henriette Negrin, (or Nigrin), born on October 4, 1877, in Fontainebleau, died in 1965 in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, was a French clothes-designer and

textile artist Textile arts are arts and crafts that use plant, animal, or synthetic fibers to construct practical or decorative objects. Textiles have been a fundamental part of human life since the beginning of civilization. The methods and materials u ...

. She created fabrics and clothes, working alongside her husband Mariano Fortuny.

Biography

Henriette Negrin met Mariano Fortuny in Paris at the beginning of the 20th century and, in 1902, went to live with him in Venice at the ''Palazzo Pesaro degli Orfei'', now

Palazzo Fortuny Fortuny () is a surname of Catalan origin. It may refer to: * Diego Fortuny (born 1991), Argentine rugby union player * Enzo Fortuny (born 1981), Mexican voice actor * José Manuel Fortuny (1916–2005), Guatemalan Communist leader * Mariano Fortu ...

, one of the museums of the city. Henriette Negrin and her husband shared an interest for textile creations. In particular, she researched

pigment A pigment is a colored material that is completely or nearly insoluble in water. In contrast, dyes are typically soluble, at least at some stage in their use. Generally dyes are often organic compounds whereas pigments are often inorganic compo ...

s for the dying of fabrics, applying the dyes herself to the wood

stencil Stencilling produces an image or pattern on a surface, by applying pigment to a surface through an intermediate object, with designed holes in the intermediate object, to create a pattern or image on a surface, by allowing the pigment to reach ...

s for printing the textiles. Together, they developed a

pleat A pleat (plait in older English) is a type of fold formed by doubling fabric back upon itself and securing it in place. It is commonly used in clothing and upholstery to gather a wide piece of fabric to a narrower circumference. Pleats are cat ...

ing machine the patent for which was filed by the

National Institute of Industrial Property (France) The National Industrial Property Institute (INPI, standing for ''Institut national de la propriété industrielle'' in French) is the national intellectual property office of France, in charge of patents, trademarks and industrial design rights. ...

of Paris on June 10, 1909. In a signed hand-written note on a copy of the patent (copy kept at th
Marciana Library
, Mariano Fortuny acknowledged his future wife as the inventor of the machine: " Ce brevet est de la propriété de Madame Henriette BrassartBrassart was the name of Henriette's mother qui est l’inventeur. J’ai pris ce brevet en mon nom pour l’urgence du dépôt." (''"This patent is the property of Madame Henriette Brassart who is the inventor. I submitted this patent in my name given the urgency of filing"''). This pleating technique plays a central role in the design of the Delphos gown, whose creation Henriette Negrin confirmed as her own in a letter to Elsie McNeill Lee, at the time the exclusive distributor of the Fortuny fabrics and dresses in the United States.Fortuny company history
/ref> In the letter, Henriette Negrin indicated her decision to terminate all production of the dress that she had designed. During the 47 years of her life with Mariano Fortuny, Henriette Negrin was fully involved in all aspects of their creative life. After his death, she curated her husband's art collection, donating works to several museums and compiling the inventory of the contents of their residence. She donated the building to the city of Venice, which came into its full possession after her death in 1965.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Negrin, Henriette 1877 births 1965 deaths People from Fontainebleau French artists 20th-century fashion French fashion designers French women fashion designers French expatriates in Italy