Fashion Drawing
1953-1954 (published)
| Artist/Maker |
This is an original artwork for a fashion illustration by Marcel Fromenti for The Lady, a weekly magazine for women published since 1885. At the time it was made, Fromenti was the main artist for The Lady's fashion articles. The glamorous women in his drawings modelled both couture and high-end ready-to-wear garments with equal panache and elegance. Couture dresses and suits by leading Paris and London couturiers such as Christian Dior, Pierre Balmain and Norman Hartnell were drawn with the same flair as designs from British ready-to-wear labels such as Susan Small, Roecliff & Chapman, and Marcus. The articles described the fashion developments of their day in simple, accessible terms that contributed greatly to The Lady's popularity with its readers. Pencil notes record the designers, fabric and colour details, alongside technical instructions to the printers as to how these images should be incorporated into the printed page and at what scale.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Pen and ink, wash and chinese white |
| Brief description | Marcel Fromenti, for The Lady. 1953-54. Day dresses by Roecliff & Chapman and Marcus. |
| Physical description | NB: This description is for E.1605:1&2-1954. The record is for one of two parts. Two summer day outfits. A dress by Marcus with a bold graphic striped print and full skirt, worn with elbow length gloves and a wide-brimmed hat; and a horizontally-striped dress and jacket ensemble by Roecliff & Chapman. The pattern on the dress appears to be of tasselled fringes printed on the fabric. Pencil skirt, loose fitting short jacket in matching print. The model wears dark gloves and hat, and carries a clutch bag. |
| Marks and inscriptions | (Inscribed with the designers' names, descriptions in French, and dated on the back) |
| Credit line | Given by the Editor of 'The Lady' |
| Object history | Marcus was a fashion designer or model house active in the 1950s and 1960s, also operating under the name Marcusa. Some Marcusa labels read "Created by Marcus" although very little is currently known about the business. |
| Summary | This is an original artwork for a fashion illustration by Marcel Fromenti for The Lady, a weekly magazine for women published since 1885. At the time it was made, Fromenti was the main artist for The Lady's fashion articles. The glamorous women in his drawings modelled both couture and high-end ready-to-wear garments with equal panache and elegance. Couture dresses and suits by leading Paris and London couturiers such as Christian Dior, Pierre Balmain and Norman Hartnell were drawn with the same flair as designs from British ready-to-wear labels such as Susan Small, Roecliff & Chapman, and Marcus. The articles described the fashion developments of their day in simple, accessible terms that contributed greatly to The Lady's popularity with its readers. Pencil notes record the designers, fabric and colour details, alongside technical instructions to the printers as to how these images should be incorporated into the printed page and at what scale. |
| Bibliographic reference | Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings Accessions 1954 London: HMSO, 1963 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.1605:2-1954 |
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| Record created | June 30, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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