Femina, 1 Mai 1914, 14e Année, nr. 19: modeprent "Les chiens suivent aussi la mode" 1914

Bernard Boutet de Monvel made this print titled "Les chiens suivent aussi la mode" in 1914 for Femina magazine, and I'm just loving how it captures a certain moment in time. I’m thinking about the artist and the process of making this image. There’s such a delicacy in the figures. They're all layered with thin washes of muted colours - the soft white of the long gown, the taupe of the park, the black detailing of the dogs' and people's outfits. I wonder about the moment he chose to depict. Was it something he saw and quickly sketched in his notebook? I mean, he captures something real about the relationship between people and their pets. I'm thinking about the absurdity of putting clothes on dogs - I mean, look at that little French bulldog! It's like de Monvel is pointing out the comedy of human behaviour, all the while managing to create a composition that's just so pleasing to the eye. The way the dogs mirror the fashion of the time, it's all part of this ongoing conversation artists have, playing with ideas, poking fun, and making us think.