Paper folder
Brussels
by Droit, Jean, artist (1884-1961)
Brussels. Paper folder. Very Good Plus. N.d., circa 1910. 36 by 22 cm. Folio of eight pochoir illustrations, all depicting elegantly appointed women decked in furs. The women are all on the move or active in some way -- these are illustrations meant to show how the garments work in their lifestyle. There is nothing static about the pictures. They bring to mind the breezy boulevard depictions of artists such as Sem, with the difference that these portraits aren't caricatures. The fashions hark from a period in which beauty and elegance was the hallmark of high fashion while some of the shackles imposed by fashion were being loosened -- women could go out in the world on their own to a degree seldom the case a generation earlier. Jean Droit was a French and Belgian artist and writer who excelled at book illustration. He is better known for his depictions of wartime and warfare, and he incidentally played an instrumental role in the scouting movement. This collection, produced early in his prolific career, is scarce -- we have been able to locate no other copies -- and each of the plates would be very appealing matted, framed and hung on a wall.
(Inventory #: 004286)