Journal des Demoiselles, 1 septembre 1894, No. 5005 : Toilettes de Mme Gradoz (...) 1894

P. Deferneville created this fashion plate titled 'Journal des Demoiselles' in 1894, employing lithography with hand coloring. Visually, the composition centers on three figures – two women and a girl – adorned in the latest fashions, set against a muted seaside backdrop. The artist's use of line and color here serves less to represent reality and more to construct an idealized image. Deferneville masterfully uses color to distinguish textures and materials. Notice how the subdued palette, dominated by pastel shades, reinforces a sense of refined elegance, typical of the period's fashion illustration. Through its formal elements, this piece provides insights into late 19th-century aesthetics and social values. The emphasis on ornamentation and the deliberate arrangement of the figures suggest a world where appearance and presentation play a central role. These fashion plates, like semiotic systems, convey cultural codes, reflecting and shaping contemporary ideals of beauty, class, and femininity.