Journal des Dames et des Modes, Costumes Parisiens, 1914, No. 169 1914

Curator: What strikes me immediately about this print, created by Germaine Leurain, is how severe and imposing this otherwise delicate figure appears. Editor: Interesting. Formally, I find it graceful; the long, draping lines of the dress create a sense of fluidity and movement despite the static medium. We’re looking at a lithograph titled, "Journal des Dames et des Modes, Costumes Parisiens, 1914, No. 169." Curator: And this journal was incredibly influential. It really catered to an elite readership in Paris, setting trends but also reflecting existing societal pressures on women in that era. Editor: I see your point. Those dramatic, almost winged lapels on her jacket coupled with the austere facial expression certainly push against a solely ornamental reading. Curator: Precisely. Fashion, especially at the cusp of the war, became another field of asserting power. Looking "correct," and modern as these women must have understood it, was a crucial cultural signal. Editor: Technique-wise, observe how much the starkness enhances the visual interest. The textures, even though conveyed through fairly simple lines of ink on paper, pop in a delightful way. The layers and shades create some kind of spectacle to witness. Curator: Definitely, but I'm more taken by how it hints at the psychological pressures surrounding fashion. I mean, look at the stiff posture, and what about her somewhat somber gaze? It makes you think about what these women may have actually felt about adhering to such rigid ideals of beauty and style. Editor: It is fascinating to me the intersection of art, craft and print technologies available at the time in making this composition possible; these lithographs were quickly disseminated into the bourgeois households. That adds an additional layer of complexity into how these ideas shaped not just local aesthetics but wider social consciousness too! Curator: Agreed. Overall, it provides so much more than a glimpse of what to wear and what to look like; It presents to us the zeitgeist of a society about to change. Editor: I leave this conversation really appreciating the simplicity and visual balance employed here. Let's move on, shall we?