Journal des Dames et des Modes, Costumes Parisiens, 1914, No. 157 1914

Editor: Here we have "Journal des Dames et des Modes, Costumes Parisiens, 1914, No. 157" by Victor Lhuer, created in 1914, using ink on paper. It’s so simple, just lines really, but I find it quite evocative. What catches your eye about this piece? Curator: Oh, it whisks me away, doesn't it? Straight to a Parisian salon just before everything changed with the Great War. It’s an echo of elegance just before the boom. I feel as if I can almost hear the rustle of silk. The artist is really skilled at conveying so much with so little. Notice the framing; how the curtain on the right mimics the woman’s pose, and almost entraps her gaze. Is she free, or a gilded bird? What do you think? Editor: I see what you mean! Trapped but beautiful. The reflection makes it more complex too. One of her is vibrant, but the other is constrained by the frame, gazing out. It also adds to the narrative... Like we’re peering into her private world. Curator: Precisely! It's voyeuristic and intimate, all at once. The details in the clothing, especially that feathery turban and the string of beads, scream opulence and sophistication. Lhuer captures a mood, a fleeting moment of pre-war glamour. But also notice the bare feet… almost subverting her wealth by making her ever so human. Editor: I hadn’t even noticed the feet! So much to unpack in something so simple! I came in thinking it was "just" fashion illustration, but now I see all these subtle layers of commentary. Curator: Exactly! Art often resides in these quiet corners. That fashion plate now pulses with a subtle, nuanced story. Maybe about the eve of great loss. Editor: Wow, thanks, I definitely have a fresh perspective now. It's no longer "just" a pretty drawing to me. Curator: The pleasure’s all mine. Now go forth and find your own fleeting beauty!