Très Parisien, 1923, No 8: 3.- SOURIRE. / Bien joli est ce manteau.... 1923

This fashion plate, *Très Parisien* from 1923, is a lithograph, so it was made with ink, grease, and stone, by an anonymous artist, printed in Paris. I’m trying to imagine what the artist was thinking when they were making this image. I bet they looked at that long blue coat and tried to think of a smart way to convey the texture of the fabric. It's a lovely blue, with darker patterning. The way they showed the shadow, such a simple dark shape, gives the figure a sense of depth. The little brown dots, suggestive of fallen leaves, make me feel as though she's walking outside. There is a certain elegance to the figure that also feels a little melancholic to me. But maybe she’s just French. You can see how the artist is in conversation with other artists and illustrators of the time, borrowing and riffing and playing with their ideas. And now we're in conversation with them too.