Fashion lecturer and historian Tony Glenville discusses the golden age of illustrated magazines.
PQP: In the first issue of Pourquoi Pas?, we talked about Gazette du Bon Ton. Was that, for you, the greatest of all illustrated fashion magazines?
TG: The important element for me with Gazette du Bon Ton, is the portrayal of designs by people like Poiret, Cheruit, Paquin and Beer. The fashions of the day were rendered by the greatest artists of the moment in a truly wonderful way. Also of course, the format and method of production of the Gazette is unique. Others used the pochoir process but not in the same way, and the physical shape and layout of Gazette du Bon Ton has never really been equalled.
PQP: Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar used illustrated covers consistently until the 1930s, sporadically after that. Were there particular artists who stood out, who caught the spirit of the times?
TG: The interesting thing about the illustrated covers is they bear little relationship to the actual content of the issue; they are simply works of art within themselves. The graphic possibilities are what I think these covers are about, I suspect this is one of the reasons they still look so strong and work so well as independent pieces of design. In terms of the artists, Benito had a really strong sense of space and layout, Lepape came up with a huge number of solutions to the same format. Pagès brought real originality to every cover of his I have ever seen, and Eric pushed the boundaries and modernised the look of the covers.
PQP: In the first issue of Pourquoi Pas?, we talked about Gazette du Bon Ton. Was that, for you, the greatest of all illustrated fashion magazines?
TG: The important element for me with Gazette du Bon Ton, is the portrayal of designs by people like Poiret, Cheruit, Paquin and Beer. The fashions of the day were rendered by the greatest artists of the moment in a truly wonderful way. Also of course, the format and method of production of the Gazette is unique. Others used the pochoir process but not in the same way, and the physical shape and layout of Gazette du Bon Ton has never really been equalled.
PQP: Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar used illustrated covers consistently until the 1930s, sporadically after that. Were there particular artists who stood out, who caught the spirit of the times?
TG: The interesting thing about the illustrated covers is they bear little relationship to the actual content of the issue; they are simply works of art within themselves. The graphic possibilities are what I think these covers are about, I suspect this is one of the reasons they still look so strong and work so well as independent pieces of design. In terms of the artists, Benito had a really strong sense of space and layout, Lepape came up with a huge number of solutions to the same format. Pagès brought real originality to every cover of his I have ever seen, and Eric pushed the boundaries and modernised the look of the covers.
PQP: As the covers became less frequent, the illustrated story took on more prominence, particularly in Vogue…
TG: Today we understand a story shot by Meisel or La Chapelle across several pages. For a very long time the story was in an illustration, since the ability to convey more than just the clothes was what made the great illustrators so strong and successful. Photography was still mainly studio led, so the ability of illustrators to suggest things was a very useful tool. They were able to work fast, they could work anywhere, either at the salon or a studio, they could work late at night and they didn’t need to worry so much about hair, make-up, etc. since they could invent. The role of the fashion editor was very different then, and the stylist had yet to be invented. It was a simple but fantastically effective method of communication and many of the artists were able to work consistently with one publication. The sheer volume of output of many of the key illustrators is amazing. This also means of course that the work in some cases is uneven, especially towards the end of long careers. Late Erté or Gruau is really not the same as the vintage work. They all had their specialisms, methods and styles. A man drawn by Eric was more laid back and elegant than any man in real life could ever hope to be. It is also great that people like Vértès or Tom Keogh, although not primarily fashion illustrators, produced great images.
PQP: René Bouché’s death in 1963, marked the end of the era when illustration was used consistently in fashion magazines.
TG: The shift from illustration to photography happened relatively swiftly, allied to post-war change and printing developments, new interest in media, etc. Although some illustration went on into the 60’s it was not so much used in the Vogue/Harper’s world. When Antonio Lopez came along it gave illustration a real shot in the arm and this lifted the game for other illustrators including Steven Stipleman, Kenneth Paul Block and Joe Eula. It is interesting that America more than Europe has always carried fashion illustration through. Antonio worked across a range of style products from Studio 54 to Tokyo department stores, and Andy Warhol’s early work shows how much illustration was used even in that late 50s and early 60s. Barbara Hulanicki made a full time living as an illustrator before launching Biba, but it gradually faded from the repertoire of many glossies until the turn of the decade. I guess the 70s were possibly the low point for fashion illustration globally. The launch in the 80s of La Mode en Peinture in France and Vanity in Italy heralded a renaissance of illustration and showed what it could achieve – a simplification of line and a distillation of the garment which photography could not hope to emulate.
TG: Today we understand a story shot by Meisel or La Chapelle across several pages. For a very long time the story was in an illustration, since the ability to convey more than just the clothes was what made the great illustrators so strong and successful. Photography was still mainly studio led, so the ability of illustrators to suggest things was a very useful tool. They were able to work fast, they could work anywhere, either at the salon or a studio, they could work late at night and they didn’t need to worry so much about hair, make-up, etc. since they could invent. The role of the fashion editor was very different then, and the stylist had yet to be invented. It was a simple but fantastically effective method of communication and many of the artists were able to work consistently with one publication. The sheer volume of output of many of the key illustrators is amazing. This also means of course that the work in some cases is uneven, especially towards the end of long careers. Late Erté or Gruau is really not the same as the vintage work. They all had their specialisms, methods and styles. A man drawn by Eric was more laid back and elegant than any man in real life could ever hope to be. It is also great that people like Vértès or Tom Keogh, although not primarily fashion illustrators, produced great images.
PQP: René Bouché’s death in 1963, marked the end of the era when illustration was used consistently in fashion magazines.
TG: The shift from illustration to photography happened relatively swiftly, allied to post-war change and printing developments, new interest in media, etc. Although some illustration went on into the 60’s it was not so much used in the Vogue/Harper’s world. When Antonio Lopez came along it gave illustration a real shot in the arm and this lifted the game for other illustrators including Steven Stipleman, Kenneth Paul Block and Joe Eula. It is interesting that America more than Europe has always carried fashion illustration through. Antonio worked across a range of style products from Studio 54 to Tokyo department stores, and Andy Warhol’s early work shows how much illustration was used even in that late 50s and early 60s. Barbara Hulanicki made a full time living as an illustrator before launching Biba, but it gradually faded from the repertoire of many glossies until the turn of the decade. I guess the 70s were possibly the low point for fashion illustration globally. The launch in the 80s of La Mode en Peinture in France and Vanity in Italy heralded a renaissance of illustration and showed what it could achieve – a simplification of line and a distillation of the garment which photography could not hope to emulate.
PQP: And what about illustration in magazines today?
Now we have illustration as a craft and form of communication which has a specific place in the world of both fashion magazines and fashion imagery. Mats Gustafson has carved a specific niche for himself with a style bordering on the abstract, which Vogue Italia especially embraces. François Berthoud has displayed a versatility in working from 3D to woodcut. David Downton lifts commercial work for companies such as Fenwick into the higher level of style. Jason Brooks has invented the ‘Brooks’ woman, impossibly elongated and stylish in a micro skirt. Richard Grey has demonstrated that a fertile, imaginative brain, with a hint of Lewis Carroll, can also forge a pathway in fashion illustration. All of which goes to prove that there now as many diverse styles as there are fashion trends.
PQP: Lastly, as a collector and archivist, what advice would you give to anyone wanting to start collecting illustrated magazines?
TG: The great key issues of Vogue or Harper’s are much sought after and highly collectable, this also means they can command a lot of money. However, if you are shopping on a budget and at the same time want to gather a small but interesting collection, there are still ways. Single advertisement plates of Gazette du Bon Ton, along with the less famous plates or slightly damaged or trimmed plates are affordable. Many illustrators worked for more then just the glossies, Lepape, for example, worked on some wonderful covers for fur publications, and single sheets can be found from publications like L’Illustration or even entire issues featuring Drian and Erté. The internet offers many chances to acquire bits and pieces and even the specialist shops throughout the world such as Gallaghers in New York have a range of pieces and prices.
www.tonyglenville.co.uk
Now we have illustration as a craft and form of communication which has a specific place in the world of both fashion magazines and fashion imagery. Mats Gustafson has carved a specific niche for himself with a style bordering on the abstract, which Vogue Italia especially embraces. François Berthoud has displayed a versatility in working from 3D to woodcut. David Downton lifts commercial work for companies such as Fenwick into the higher level of style. Jason Brooks has invented the ‘Brooks’ woman, impossibly elongated and stylish in a micro skirt. Richard Grey has demonstrated that a fertile, imaginative brain, with a hint of Lewis Carroll, can also forge a pathway in fashion illustration. All of which goes to prove that there now as many diverse styles as there are fashion trends.
PQP: Lastly, as a collector and archivist, what advice would you give to anyone wanting to start collecting illustrated magazines?
TG: The great key issues of Vogue or Harper’s are much sought after and highly collectable, this also means they can command a lot of money. However, if you are shopping on a budget and at the same time want to gather a small but interesting collection, there are still ways. Single advertisement plates of Gazette du Bon Ton, along with the less famous plates or slightly damaged or trimmed plates are affordable. Many illustrators worked for more then just the glossies, Lepape, for example, worked on some wonderful covers for fur publications, and single sheets can be found from publications like L’Illustration or even entire issues featuring Drian and Erté. The internet offers many chances to acquire bits and pieces and even the specialist shops throughout the world such as Gallaghers in New York have a range of pieces and prices.
Like a treasure hunt there will always be the unexpected to delight and surprise us. It may be a tiny scrap from a regency ladies almanac or a torn Bouché from an advertising campaign but it demonstrates the power of the fashion illustrator through the last two hundred years. I know one day I will own a Bérard but until then I am happy hunting.
All images courtesy of the Tony Glenville Collectionwww.tonyglenville.co.uk
