Material Mode

Month: May 2013

  • A Victorian Fashion History Mystery…

             From time to time, we come across beautiful items in our collection that cause us to stop, take note, and delve more into their history.  These dainty and diminutive sketches of Victorian millinery may have been executed by Auguste Félix, or the designs of a milliner of that same name, for…

  • Steichen & Poiret: the first fashion photographs?

    Many scholars cite the emergence of modern fashion photography to the April 1911 issue of Art et Decoration, which features the designs of couturier Paul Poiret as photographed by famed photographer Edward Steichen. Certainly, these images are not the earliest fashion photographs—our department contains examples from La Mode Pratique dating to 1892—but the presentation of garments…

  • Bare Beauties

    Bare Beauties

    During the 1920s, publishers circumvented the laws concerning the publication of nude photos by ostensibly purposing them “FOR ARTISTS ONLY.” “While this magazine is of general interest, particular stress is laid upon the fine arts and crafts; and an especial appeal is made to artists, designers, architects, drawing teachers, photographers, art supervisors, curators of museums,…