Maschinenangst

Vera Idelson’s costume and set design illustrations for the Italian Futurist play The Anguish of the Machines (La mascherata degli impotenti, 1923) by Ruggero Vasari

From the January 1925 issue of Der Sturm (Berlin)

Vera Idelson, costume design for Maschinenangst by Ruggero Vasari
From the Jan. 1925 issue of Der Sturm (Berlin)

This play made it into English—as The Anguish of the Machines—in the anthology Robots, Robots, Robots (Boston: New York Graphic Society, 1978). Naturally, I'm investigating that anthology! There's an academic article about Vasari here and an Italian blog has discussed the play. Vera Idelson (1893–1977) doesn't turn up in many search results. Here's a 1937 costume design.
I have a few more posts in the works from the archives of Der Sturm.


Vera Idelson, costume design for Maschinenangst by Ruggero Vasari
From the Jan. 1925 issue of Der Sturm (Berlin)




Vera Idelson, costume design for Maschinenangst by Ruggero Vasari
From the Jan. 1925 issue of Der Sturm (Berlin)

The above and below are captioned "Die Maschinenverdammten"


Vera Idelson, costume design for Maschinenangst by Ruggero Vasari
From the Jan. 1925 issue of Der Sturm (Berlin)




Vera Idelson, set design for Maschinenangst by Ruggero Vasari
From the Jan. 1925 issue of Der Sturm (Berlin)




Vera Idelson, set design for Maschinenangst by Ruggero Vasari
From the Jan. 1925 issue of Der Sturm (Berlin)




Vera Idelson, set design for Maschinenangst by Ruggero Vasari
From the Jan. 1925 issue of Der Sturm (Berlin)


Putting together this post I came across these illustrations for the first Italian book edition.

Enrico Prampolini, illustration for La mascherata degli impotenti, 1923 via




Enrico Prampolini, illustration for La mascherata degli impotenti, 1923 via

Previously:
Mummy Was A Robot, Daddy Was A Small Non-Stick Kitchen Utensil
Dedicated to you but you weren't glistening
This post first appeared on February 6, 2014 on 50 Watts