1920s fashion by Barbier. La Chambre Bleue d'Arthenice.

by Barbier, George

Blue Room of Arthenice Gazette du Bon Ton. Robe du soir, de Beer (Evening gown designed by Gustav De Beer).

Original hand-coloured fashion pochoir c1923 by George Barbier (1882-1932) for La Gazette du Bon Ton (Journal of Good Style). Between 1912 and 1925 (except during World War I), the finest fashion illustrators introduced the latest fashions designed by French couturiers. Barbier was one of four regular contributors for this exclusive periodical, and his fashion illustrations are some of the most sought after today. Each of his pochoir portrays a charming fashion narrative to convey the mood of the style beautifully. 

The portrayal of fashion by the pochoir method was perfected by skilful artists in France, and this French word for stencil has been adopted worldwide since that time. Pochoir was a labour-intensive process, with separate stencils cut for successive applications by hand of ink, gouache and watercolour.

Plate size is 24 x 19cm or 9.5 x 7.5 inches. Both the left and the right extremities of this page have small tears which will not show when framed. (This lovely fashion plate has been framed previously.) There is slight spotting below the image. The price of this George Barbier pochoir has been greatly reduced in recognition of its imperfections.