From the exhibition
Fashion Illustration from Gazette du Bon Ton
· 1922

This hand-colored fashion sketch depicts a woman's evening ensemble with characteristic 1920s silhouette: a dark, off-shoulder bodice and long skirt adorned with ornamental ribbon bands in purple and green. The figure's elongated proportions, stylized facial features, and geometric treatment of hair reflect the Art Deco aesthetic dominating luxury fashion publications. Published in an elite Parisian gazette, such illustrations descended from centuries of satirical print tradition while serving a different purpose—not ridicule but aspirational display for wealthy readers. The refined line work and restrained palette exemplify how interwar fashion drawing synthesized caricature's expressive distortion with haute couture's merchandising aims, creating a visual language that would influence commercial illustration and early comic strip aesthetics.
Public domain, restored and presented by comicbooks.com http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/