Gazette du Bon Ton, 1915 - No. 8-9: La Cote d'Azur ou Une Fête sur la terrasse 1915

Editor: So this is a print titled "Gazette du Bon Ton, 1915 - No. 8-9: La Cote d'Azur ou Une Fête sur la terrasse" from 1915. It looks like a fashion illustration depicting a stylish party. There’s a bit of wistful melancholy to it, maybe because it was made during the first World War? What feelings does it spark in you? Curator: Oh, a soirée under a watchful moon, rendered in gentle hues... I see a dreamscape spun from silk and societal anxieties. To me, it feels like stepping into a lost waltz. Think of the poignancy - the party as an act of defiance against the darkening world. See how the figures seem to float rather than stand? A rejection of gravity, perhaps? A desperate grasping at lightness just as everything was about to change forever. Does it evoke that sentiment for you too, that almost desperate elegance? Editor: I hadn't thought of it as defiance, but I like that! I was too focused on the elegant gowns, assuming it was a celebration of fashion. The floaty figures make so much more sense when you frame it like that. Curator: Exactly! The artist isn't merely selling dresses. It's about capturing a feeling, a cultural moment. Even the location – the glittering Côte d'Azur – screams privilege and escapism, a kind of stage set against impending doom. A bittersweet taste of beauty before the lights went out. It makes you wonder what their lives were *really* like. Editor: I’ll never see fashion plates the same way again! Thank you! Curator: My pleasure. Every artwork holds secrets if you whisper the right questions.