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Eglantine

Fashion Illustration
late 1944-early 1945 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This watercolour shows a mannequin from the Théâtre de la Mode show of early 1945 wearing a Worth day dress by of lilac and white checked fabric, with a wide-brimmed hat and black and white shoes. The illustration is by Jean de Haramboure, also known as J.C. Haramboure, a prolific French fashion illustrator from the 1920s to the 1950s. The dress, designed by Roger Worth for Worth Paris, appears to be a variation on the dress from an ensemble called "Eglantine" in the Worth design books for 1944. (see E.19063-1957), which has a closely similar bodice and identical lilac-and-white checked fabric, although the sleeves are more exaggeratedly puffed on the Théâtre de la Mode mannequin and the arrangement of the skirt pleating around the hips is slightly different. The jacket of the "Eglantine" ensemble also appears in Haramboure's drawing of a different Théâtre de la Mode mannequin (see E.22248-1957).

During the Second World War, from 1940 to 1944, France was occupied by enemy German forces. Paris was liberated in August 1944. Soon afterwards, the haute couture fashion industry in Paris, which had been heavily suppressed by the Nazis, put together the first Théâtre de la Mode. This was a travelling exhibition of wire mannequins with plaster heads which were dressed in fully accessorised outfits by Paris fashion designers, milliners, shoe-, bag- and glove-makers to perfect one-third scale. The dolls were placed within elaborate stage sets and toured around Europe and North America in order to demonstrate that the Paris fashion industry had survived Nazi occupation. These designs are for the first run of the show, which opened in Paris in March 1945, and toured London, Leeds, Barcelona, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Vienna. After this, the dolls were completely re-outfitted for 1946, and sent to the United States, where they were displayed in New York and San Francisco. In 1952, the Maryhill Museum in Washington D.C. acquired the mannequins, which had been left in San Francisco after the final show, with only the jewellery returned to Paris. The Théâtre de la Mode dolls can still be seen at the Maryhill Museum.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • Eglantine (assigned by artist)
  • Théâtre de la Mode (series title)
Materials and techniques
watercolour drawing
Brief description
Jean de Haramboure. Variation of "Eglantine". Dress designed in 1944 by Roger Worth for Worth Paris, modelled by of a Théâtre de la Mode mannequin for the March-April showing in Paris, 1945. Watercolour.
Physical description
Watercolour drawing, a design for a dress to be worn by a mannequin with an openwork wire armature.
Credit line
Given by the House of Worth
Summary
This watercolour shows a mannequin from the Théâtre de la Mode show of early 1945 wearing a Worth day dress by of lilac and white checked fabric, with a wide-brimmed hat and black and white shoes. The illustration is by Jean de Haramboure, also known as J.C. Haramboure, a prolific French fashion illustrator from the 1920s to the 1950s. The dress, designed by Roger Worth for Worth Paris, appears to be a variation on the dress from an ensemble called "Eglantine" in the Worth design books for 1944. (see E.19063-1957), which has a closely similar bodice and identical lilac-and-white checked fabric, although the sleeves are more exaggeratedly puffed on the Théâtre de la Mode mannequin and the arrangement of the skirt pleating around the hips is slightly different. The jacket of the "Eglantine" ensemble also appears in Haramboure's drawing of a different Théâtre de la Mode mannequin (see E.22248-1957).

During the Second World War, from 1940 to 1944, France was occupied by enemy German forces. Paris was liberated in August 1944. Soon afterwards, the haute couture fashion industry in Paris, which had been heavily suppressed by the Nazis, put together the first Théâtre de la Mode. This was a travelling exhibition of wire mannequins with plaster heads which were dressed in fully accessorised outfits by Paris fashion designers, milliners, shoe-, bag- and glove-makers to perfect one-third scale. The dolls were placed within elaborate stage sets and toured around Europe and North America in order to demonstrate that the Paris fashion industry had survived Nazi occupation. These designs are for the first run of the show, which opened in Paris in March 1945, and toured London, Leeds, Barcelona, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Vienna. After this, the dolls were completely re-outfitted for 1946, and sent to the United States, where they were displayed in New York and San Francisco. In 1952, the Maryhill Museum in Washington D.C. acquired the mannequins, which had been left in San Francisco after the final show, with only the jewellery returned to Paris. The Théâtre de la Mode dolls can still be seen at the Maryhill Museum.
Associated object
E.19063-1957 (Design)
Bibliographic reference
Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings Accessions 1957-1958 London: HMSO, 1964
Collection
Accession number
E.22247-1957

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
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