Journal des Dames et des Modes, Costumes Parisiens, 1913, No. 88 : Papillons naturels montés (...) 1913

This is *Journal des Dames et des Modes, Costumes Parisiens, 1913*, number 88, made by an anonymous artist, rendered in light watercolour on paper. There's a real delicateness here, the artist uses thin washes of color that feel like they're barely clinging to the page, capturing the fragile beauty of the butterflies. I love how the artist plays with symmetry and asymmetry, repeating motifs but always with slight variations. Each butterfly is unique, like individual brushstrokes in a painting. Look at the top butterfly: the way the colors blend from blues to greens to yellows, it’s almost like a little abstract painting in itself. The colors are translucent and the layers are built up slowly. What's interesting to me is that these butterflies are described as being mounted in diamonds, a curious intersection of nature and artifice that reminds me of the work of Ernst Haeckel, who turned the microscopic study of nature into works of art. It's as if the artist is saying that even the most beautiful things in nature can be improved upon, made more precious. But is that really true? It’s a question the image leaves hanging in the air.