Pink Dress. La Robe Rose. Bon Ton c1913.

by Dammy, H. Robert

Rose-coloured Garden Party Dress by Jacques Antoine Doucet c1913. Toilette de garden-party de Doucet.

Rare original fashion pochoir (stencil) c1913 by H. Robert Dammy for La Gazette du Bon Ton (Journal of Good Style). Between 1912 and 1925 - with a break during World War I when the editor and many of the artists were called up for military service. The finest fashion illustrators introduced prominent French couturiers latest designs by painting fashion narratives to conveyed how and wear each should be worn.

Gazette was an exclusive publication with around 10 issues each year, with features on art, theatre, and other pursuits for the wealthy, but the main subject was fashion. Between 8 and 10 full page illustrations were included in each issue. Several stencils were cut for each illustration, so that each successive application of colour would be consistent for each illustration for the full print run of the fashion magazine. There were only 69 issues. A few were double size which was folded to fit into the Gazette. The only one with 2 folds, illustrates 22 different designers' evening dresses (accompanied by 5 men in evening attire) - on a patio in southern France. From first publication these pochoirs were collected and framed - as not everyone could afford to buy the clothes. Annual subscription to the magazine was itself very expensive - 100 francs is over $US400 today.

The portrayal of fashion by the pochoir method was perfected by skilful artists in France with these illustrations, and pochoir, the French word for stencil, has been adopted worldwide since then to describe their achievements.

Size of page 24 x 19cm (9.5 x 7.5 inches)