Gazette du Bon Ton, 1914 - No. 3, Pl. 30: M. Bergson a promis de venir (...) / Robe de dîner de Worth 1914

Bernard Boutet de Monvel created this pochoir print, “M. Bergson a promis de venir… Robe de dîner de Worth,” for the Gazette du Bon Ton in France, 1914. It depicts a woman wearing a Worth dinner gown; the Gazette was known for its fashion plates portraying luxury designs. The reference to Bergson is intriguing; Henri Bergson was a leading philosopher at the time, known for his ideas about time, memory, and consciousness. The implication is that a dress by Worth was so desirable that it could even entice a major intellectual figure to attend a dinner party. This image provides a window into the cultural values and social hierarchies of the Parisian elite on the eve of World War I. The Gazette promoted consumer culture and celebrated the latest fashions, effectively shaping tastes. Art historians can explore archives of fashion magazines and advertisements to understand the economics of the fashion industry, and explore the history of design to better understand the social and intellectual context of this image.