Journal des Demoiselles, 1 juillet 1892, No. 4892 : Toilettes de Mme Pelletier Vidal (...) 1892

This fashion plate, 'Journal des Demoiselles, 1 juillet 1892,' by A. Chaillot, employs delicate lithography to showcase the latest Parisian styles. The composition features three figures arranged in a shallow space, their garments defined by meticulous lines and soft washes of color. The dresses, with their emphasis on silhouette, structure the visual field. The artist draws our attention to the textiles and construction of each ensemble. Notice how line functions both descriptively and decoratively, delineating the forms of the dresses while also creating patterns that animate their surfaces. This tension between form and ornament speaks to the complex semiotics of fashion. Indeed, the plate's function as a form of coded communication should not be overlooked. Chaillot, through the structural arrangement of figures and garments, invites us to decode the social and aesthetic values encoded within these fashionable forms. The plate, therefore, becomes a site of cultural interpretation.