Accessories 1912

This 1912 pochoir print by Charles Martin, titled "Accessories," presents a collection of women's hats with great attention to decorative detail. The composition is structured as a neatly arranged series of hat designs, each subtly numbered. The hats are depicted using flat planes of color and fine linework to define forms and textures. The color palette is restrained, employing muted blues, greens, pinks, and grays, conveying an air of elegance. This controlled palette serves to highlight the form and ornamentation of each hat. Look at hat number 1. Notice how the feathers convey movement within the static composition, hinting at the dynamism of Parisian fashion. Martin's use of color and form goes beyond mere illustration; it presents each hat as a constructed visual signifier, embodying the fashion codes of its time. The print challenges fixed ideas of fashion as purely functional, instead presenting it as a crafted form of expression.