Addiction, Fascination, & Henri Boutet's Femmes

I here by declare myself quite mad with delight even though I am addicted.  Yes, I need a 12 step program for my history addiction that has spilled over on to Pinterest.  Downloading images, ebooks, and other fun and exciting historical finds loaded my hard drive, but through Pinterest I can save all the magic in one location.  The problem is this fascination with the 18th and 19th centuries along with my penchant for all things Tudor eats up time, if I'm not careful.

Just this morning I became so caught up in one of my favorite topics, the street cries of vendors, that I pinned 27 images from the British Museum.  The strawberry vendor crying out "Ripe strawberries" was one of my favorites.  The small elongated baskets filled with strawberries would make such a charming image. It looks to me like she's carrying her lunch on  top of her head.  

Moving along...let's finish up Henri Boutet's Les Modes Feminines du XIX Siecle from the Regency period.   The following images are from Boutet's rendition of fashion from 1811 to 1820. Do you see a sort of Edwardian slant to the lovely ladies?

 

Boutet created 100 images in all.  I've selected just the ones that would fall into the Regency time period.  Regency fashion is my absolute favorite.  The simple forms of empire waists and smooth skirts with out all the hoops, bell-shapes, and bustles of other times catches my eye.  Although the designs are simplistic the details are often fetching, exquisite, and fine. 

The New York Public Library Digital Gallery did not have all the images, but you can find a complete book, Les Modes Feminine du XIX siecle on the Haithi Trust Digital Library.  The original is from the University of California.

Just a reminder:  All the links are also on the Research & Resources page, too.

 

Henri Boutet & His Ladies of Paris

Last week I discovered the world of Henri Boutet, a French artist.  Born in Saint Hermine March 21, 1851, he became a renown as le petit maitre au corset or the master of the corset.  A nickname given to him because of his penchant for painting the ladies of Paris, from charming shop keepers to the sophisticated femme élégante.

Boutet's work embodies the genre "la parisienne"  using etching, drypoint, and engraving.

The illustration above is part of a book,  Autourd'Elles,  that Henri Boutet published in 1899.  The book showcases women going about their days with titles such as Lunch, Flowers, the Earring, and Sleep. 

 
 He limited his early editions to twenty until he discovered the "eau-fort synthetique" technique, which simulated the more expensive ways of printing for less money.  Now he could market to a wider audience that appreciated his talents.  Besides wandering the streets, cafes, and public places of Paris searching for subjects to capture, Boutet illustrated for magazines, almanacs, and even restaurant menus.  A search will turn up a veritable bevy of wonderful artwork.    

In 1902 the now successful illustrator created a two volume book chronicling 19th Century Parisienne fashion.  He used dry point etching and hand colored the plates creating a soft watercolor look.  His attention to detail displays his fondness for his feminine subjects.  The book, Les Modes Feminines du XIX siecle, is a dreamy drift into the fashion of days gone by.  He limited the original collection of 100 fashions to just 600.   

I hope you enjoy Henri Boutet's Paris ladies of the early 19th century all from Les  Modes Feminines du XIX Siecle. 

    

 

Henri Boutet, considered an 'artist reporter' of La Belle Epoque, captured the essence of feminine through his Paris ladies simply going about life. He died in 1919 leaving behind a library of images for future generations to take delight in.   You can find 105 images from Les Modes Feminines du XIX Siecle on The New York Public Library Digital Gallery site.

I decided to stick to the illustrations of the early 19th century and the next ten images will be in the next post.  Please feel free to Pin or download the images.  I believe them to be in the Public Domain.