Emilie Floge (1874-1952) was Klimt's
lifelong companion, mistress and one of his principal heirs. She was born
into the family of Hermann Floge, a prosperous pipe manufacturer. It is
uncertain when she first met Klimt, but his first portrait of her dates
to 1891. She would appear in many of his paintings as both subject and
model. That same year Emilie's elder sister Helene married Klimt's younger
brother, Ernst.
In 1895, Emilie's eldest sister Pauline Floge opened a school for dressmakers, in which Emilie worked as well. In 1899, the Floge sisters win a dressmaking contest and are commissioned to sew a cambric dress for an exhibition.In 1903, the Floge sisters opened their fashion boutique in Vienna.
After Klimt's death in 1918, Emilie inherited half of his belongings, the other half passing to his family.
In 1938, after the German Anschluss with Austria, the Floge sisters
had to close their boutique. Emilie died in 1952, at the age of 78.
See: Gustav Klimt. Portrait of
Emilie Flöge. Emilie Flöge, Aged 17.