Journal le Printemps, Plate 16, November 1882

A. Paul (printmaker), after A. Lefrancq (designer)

Journal le Printemps, Plate 16 November 1882

Hand-colored Lithograph

This hand-colored nineteenth-century French fashion plate engraving from Journal le Printemps illustrates the latest haute couture trends of the early 1880s during the Second Bustle period. The figure on the left wears an elegant white silk or satin visiting dress featuring a high collar, intricate lace embellishments, and a pleated hem. The garment exemplifies the distinctive "shelf" bustle silhouette that defined fashionable dress during the decade. The figure on the right is attired in a deep burgundy ensemble with a patterned bodice and a richly ornamented skirt composed of tiered ruffles and drapery, culminating in a prominent bustle. Together, the two costumes showcase the luxurious fabrics, elaborate ornamentation, and sculptural silhouettes that characterized elite women's fashion in late nineteenth-century France.

Journal le Printemps was a prominent French fashion magazine published in association with the elite Parisian department store Printemps. Active from the mid-nineteenth century into the early twentieth century, the publication combined fashion journalism with advertising, offering subscribers finely detailed illustrations of the latest styles available in Paris. These fashion plates were typically printed through engraving or lithographic processes and then meticulously hand-colored by artisans. Such works provide important insight into the evolution of Victorian and early Edwardian dress, documenting changing ideals of femininity, domesticity, and consumer culture during a period when Paris was widely regarded as the international center of fashion. Today, original fashion plates from Journal le Printemps are valued by collectors and historians alike for their artistic craftsmanship and their role in preserving the visual culture of nineteenth-century haute couture.

Dimensions: H 13.25 x 10 W

Condition: Some foxing on edges