This dress fabric was designed in 1919 by the Atelier Martine, Paul Poiret's design studio. It produced soft furnishings and textiles between 1911 and the 1930s. Poiret was the leading dress designer of his day. He radically transformed women's fashion by clothing the female figure in loose, slim-line garments. He also favoured the vibrant colours popularised by the stage costumes of the Ballets Russes, which performed in Paris in 1909. In the same year, Poiret visited Austria and purchased fabrics from the innovative Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshop). This inspired him to establish his own workshop in Paris. Instead of trained designers, Poiret employed young girls who had recently left school, whom he took to the zoo, parks or museums to sketch. Back at the studio, they produced designs for fabrics. Since the girls were untutored in fine art, these retained the fresh, spontaneous appearance of childlike compositions. This dress fabric is decorated with the typically naïve motifs and bold colours of the Martine fabric ranges.