Journal des Dames et des Modes, Costumes Parisiens, 1914, No. 163 : Veste de drap (...) 1914

Victor Lhuer made this print titled 'Journal des Dames et des Modes, Costumes Parisiens, 1914, No. 163 : Veste de drap (...)' sometime in 1914. Look at this fashionable figure, drawn with such crisp lines. I wonder what Lhuer was thinking as he decided which lines to emphasize, which to omit. He has such an eye for detail. The stripes of her skirt are so perfectly straight; did he use a ruler, or was it all freehand? It's fascinating how a simple line can convey so much – the drape of fabric, the curve of a hat, the set of someone’s mouth. It's all there, in the bare minimum of marks. So much is suggested, and so little is actually shown. That's the beauty of drawing, isn't it? We bring our own imaginations to the table, filling in the blanks, and making it our own. It reminds me of the work of contemporaries like Erté, who captured the fashion of their time with such elegance and flair. Artists like Lhuer and Erté are in a constant exchange, inspiring each other, riffing on the same themes.