Just bought 3 of these beautiful French fashion journals... Never seen those before, but they look awesome... Just have to get some time to free them from their protective packaging and immerse myself into those 19th century's fashions...
Here's some background about this publication:
One of the most influential and long lasting French fashion magazines was La Mode Ilustree. This
magazine was particularly important for any assessment of 19th century children's fashions as it
sought to deal with children's fashions and issues. It also spanned a long time period from 1840 to
1937. The first and long serving editor wrote extensive pieces, advising French mothers on children's
fashions and other domestic issues.
French Fashion
Perhaps no where in Europe was fashion relegated more importance than France. Even during the
height of the turmoil engulfing revolutionary France at the end of the 18th century, fashion magazines
like the Journal de la Mode et duc Goût during the 1790s. Likewise fashion magazines continued to
publish during the German seige of Paris in 1871. Over 100 fashion magazines appeared in France
between 1840 and 1870.
Foundation
La Mode Illustree was founded in 1860 and became one of the most popular of all the French fashion
magazines. It was founded by the redoutable Emmeline Raymond who edited the magazine until her
death in 1902.
Emphasis
Its subtitle, Journal de la Famille," indicated the publications emphasis on the entire family. La Mode Ilustree was France's first large format fashion magazine and was published for a longer period than any of its rivals. It was published in four editions at various prices depending on the number of color plates and patterns. Madame Raymond south to create an encyclopedia for women. La Mode Illustree was not, however, a woman's magazine in the modern sense, this would have been essentially foreign to Madame Raymond's sensibilities. Madame Raymond's successor explained, "A woman's magazine? The great spirit of our founder would never have supported such a notion. A woman is inseparable from her family. In order to be headed and admired and to perform a real service, the entire household must be addressed. [La Mode Illustree, 1909]
Influence
The French are known for their emphasis on fashion and La Mode Illustreé had a major influence on French fashion. The clothing presented in the magazine, however, was carefully tailored to the magazine's primary audience when it first appeared, the growing bourgeois of increasingly prosperous mid-19th century France. La Mode Illustree avoided many of the more elaborate fads and extremes of the 19th century. Madame Raymond advised her readers to "... avoid every mistake in `savoir-vivre', all fashion abbreviations, all
wrongful expenses, demonstrating the elegance of simplicity when reconciled with the greatest possible economy." [La Mode Illustree, 1902] Following its role as a family magazine, considerable attention was given to children's clothing, more than most other French as well as foreign fashion magazines of the day. The emphasis on family fashion and focus on the middle class families makes La Mode Illustree and extremely valuable resource for assessing French fashions trends from the mid-19th to through the early 20th centuries. The magazine also included interesting articles about foreign children as well as composition contests for school children.
