Charnaux corset catalogue, cover designed by Zero (Hans Schleger); British, ca. 1930-1939.

Charnaux corset catalogue, consisting of paper folder and eight two sided sheets, with a cover designed by Zero (Hans Schleger). The design is in black, beige and white and features a woman's face in Art Deco style, black with the lines of eyebrows, nose and mouth and wavy hair as black and beige line highlights. To the right is an image of a corset showing it's lace pattern in white lines, on a model showing the neck to thigh area only. The 'Charnaux' lettering across the bottom of the front cover is typical Art Deco style in beige and black on white background. The inside cover features a star in beige overlapped by a star in white line, both on a black background. The inside back cover is beige with Art Deco style lettering 'charnaux' in black and white across the centre. The back cover is plain black. The tabs which fold over to form the folder are semi-circular, top and bottom in white and right side in black. The catalogue of sixteen pages (on eigth loose sheets) includes illustrations of a range of corsets with the lettering 'charnaux' and model number on the front, and descriptions on the back, all in black and white on beige background.

Acquired in connection with the display A Fine Line - Commercial Wood Engraving in Britain, V&A, 10 October 1994 - 26 March 1994.

This catalogue, commissioned between ca. 1933 and 1935 is notable for its high quality of design and production (for others see E.376-1994 to E.381-1994). This reflects the publisher Lund Humphries and manufacturer Charnaux's policies of employing designers and artists of note such as Edward McKnight Kauffer and Man Ray, Hans Schleger and Frank Dobson - the latter was even commissioned to produce a display figure torso in 1933. Publisher Lund Humphries, besides commissioning design work, were also able to provide studio and exhibition space in their new Bedford Square building. In 1934 Lund Humphries held an exhibition of Hans Schleger (Zero), who arrived in England in 1932 from Germany, and became a close friend of McKnight Kauffer. Schleger was to become one of the leading graphic designers in Britain, producing prestigious work for London Transport, GPO, Shell and BP, as well as government war posters.

E.378:!-1994