Toujours Chic Les Tailleurs et Les Manteaux, Hiver 1921-1922: Sphinx 1921 - 1922

This fashion plate, titled “Sphinx,” was made by G-P. Joumard in 1921 or 1922 using a variety of printmaking techniques. It’s all about color blocking, right? The kind of process where you build up the image with flat areas of color. I’m thinking about the way the image emphasizes surface and pattern. Look at that plaid skirt—how the blue and yellow grid pops against the cream background. Or the way the black fur trim seems to float against the light blue jacket. It’s this emphasis on the flatness of the page that really grabs me. It brings to mind the work of someone like Erté, another artist working in fashion and design at the time, but with a different approach. Where Erté is all about glamor and luxury, Joumard has a kind of playfulness and wit. It feels less about aspiration and more about invention. And that's the thing, isn't it? It's always a conversation. It's always something new.