Stephanie was born on 18th July 1886 in Lustenau in the Vorarlberg district of Austria, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Her parents were farmers and professional embroiderers and she became a talented artist. When the First World War broke out, Stephanie initially trained as a nurse, then fought disguised as a man for several months during 1916. In spite of being awarded a medal for bravery - The Karl-Truppenkreuz - when her subterfuge was discovered, Stephanie was sent home. However, she was soon named as an official WW1 artist and travelled to the front on at least three occasions. Stephanie became a senior official in public art business advancement during Nazi rule.
Stephanie's work became very popular and was much in demand after WW1 because of her bravery during the conflict. She died in Vienna on 24th May 1944.
There is an art gallery dedicated to Stephanie's memory in the town of Lustenau in Austria - here is the link to view some of her paintings:
http://galerie-hollenstein.lustenau.at/de/hollenstein/
With grateful thanks to Martin Zieren who sent me information about Stephanie.
There is an art gallery dedicated to Stephanie's memory in the town of Lustenau in Austria - here is the link to view some of her paintings:
http://galerie-hollenstein.lustenau.at/de/hollenstein/
With grateful thanks to Martin Zieren who sent me information about Stephanie.
