Slawa Duldig

Slawa Duldig née Horowitz (28 November 1901– 16 August 1975) was an inventor, artist, interior designer, and teacher. In 1929, as Slawa Horowitz, she patented a design for an improved compact folding umbrella.

Duldig was the wife of the modernist sculptor Karl (Karol) Duldig and the mother of Eva de Jong-Duldig, a champion Australian tennis player. Her art works and those of her husband are displayed at the Duldig Studio, an artists' house museum in Melbourne, Australia founded by their daughter. In 1926, her clay sculpture 'Mother and Child' was commended by the Kurjer Lwow (Lwow Courier newspaper) in an exhibition of the work of Professor Bitterlich's students at the Vienna Künstlerhaus. In 1928, following a wet-weather visit to the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Slawa conceived the idea for a manageable, handbag-sized folding umbrella.

In the words of Helen Kiddell, 'The umbrella that Slawa patented had a telescopic handle, allowing it to be made more compact. The metal ribs which formed the skeleton under the black silk covering, were innovatively designed to fold up.' 'Flirt' featured at the 1931 Vienna Spring Fair; '"…the sculptress Slawa Horowitz has invented a magic umbrella that can be folded so small it can fit in a handbag…"' enthused a reporter of the Neuigkeits Welt Blatt (New World Paper). As Jewish people concerned by the potential increasing risk of harm, Slawa and Karl Duldig, with their infant child Eva, departed Vienna for Switzerland.

Karl was the first of the family to arrive in Switzerland. Initially, Slawa and Eva remained in Vienna, where Slawa packed the contents of their apartment, With Britain declaring war on Germany, their status as foreign nationals became increasingly problematic. In July 1940 they and their baby, Eva, were expelled from Singapore as enemy aliens.

Transported with German and Italian internees on the HMT Queen Mary, they arrived in Sydney, Australia, on 25 September 1940. They were detained as in Tatura Internment Camp 3 D, northern Victoria.

Slawa and Rella were re-united in Paris on 20 June 1968. Their brother Marek, father Nathan, and extended family including the Herzogs, Sobels, Wasners. and Spiegels, had "disappeared without any trace" in wartime Europe. At St Catherine's School, Slawa was acknowledged for the depth and breadth of her teaching approach, which featured first-hand knowledge of European Old Master art, craft and furniture design, and innovative approaches enabling students 'free expression' and experimental approaches.

Eva later wrote a memoir, Driftwood: Escape and Survival through Art (Melbourne: Australian Scholarly Publishing and Arcadia, 2017) about her family's experiences. In 2017, it won a Victorian Community History Award and in 2018, it was longlisted for the Dobbie Award. Her memoir was made into a musical in 2022, entitled Driftwood – The Musical, directed by Wesley Enoch. Her daughter Tania wrote some of the lyrics. Australian Broadcasting Corporation wrote that the musical "is a remarkable story". The Australian Jewish News wrote: "there's no shortage of drama, heartache and lucky escape." Limelight wrote that the musical was "sincere to a fault." The Age wrote: "Director Gary Abrahams keeps the story's emotional core vivid and convincing and Anthony Barnhill's score suits the material well. The singing is excellent.... this show has heart."

Slawa's granddaughter, Tania de Jong, born in 1964, is an Australian soprano, social entrepreneur, and businesswoman. In 1965, after Tania's birth, the family returned to Melbourne, and after she gave birth to two more children Duldig found it challenging to maintain her tennis.

In 2022, Slawa's great-granddaughters Andrea and Emma de Jong ran in the 2022 Maccabiah Games, and Emma won the 800 metres and 1,500-metre run as a junior.

Recognition In 1977, the McClelland Gallery (now the McClelland Gallery and Sculpture Park) in Langwarrin, Australia, featured the exhibition Slawa Duldig – Artist Teacher Inventor.