Dating old photographs from clothes worn in the 1920s

Print, G. Lepape

Print
Georges Lepape (1887-1971; engraver), Gazette du Bon Ton (publisher)
1920
France
Colour process engraving and colour stencil
Museum no. E.291-1954

This fashion plate is from the journal 'Gazette du Bon Ton'. The journal featured articles about theatre, travel and other pursuits of interest to the leisured wealthy, but the main emphasis was always on fashion. It was published from November 1912 to the summer of 1915, and again from January 1920 to December 1925. The complete run consisted of 12 volumes. It was intended for the Parisian elite, and introduced fashions in colour plates such as this one. The contributors included many prominent artists of the time, and the colour plates anticipated the Art Deco style that was to dominate the 1920s. The illustrations were stencilled by hand with watercolour, in a technique known as pochoir.

It shows a man in evening dress, with tails and a top hat. It is a simple and effective image of a tall and elegant man smoking. The only splash of colour is his yellow glove. Despite the simplicity of the image, it communicates glamour.

Design for a cover of Pearson's Magazine, H.J. Haley

Design for a cover of Pearson's Magazine
Henry James Haley (born 1874)
1920s
Great Britain
Pencil, coloured chalk and bodycolour on card
Museum no. E.343-1985

This is a design for the cover of 'Pearson's Magazine'. Henry Haley produced several cover designs for this popular publication in the 1920s. It clearly appealed to a largely female readership. Here Haley uses the image of a woman driver to represent a modern outlook and an independent lifestyle. She is wearing a fashionable cloche hat and sports a bob.

Design, Roseland Studio for Willetts & Sons

Design
Roseland Studio (artists) for Willetts & Sons (retailers)
1920s
London
Pen and ink and pencil on cream card
Museum no. E.3224-2004
Presented by Mrs Pamela Joan Gordon in memory of her father, George Frederick Willetts (1893-1961)

This design is from the packaging company Willetts & Sons, which was based in London from 1910 until the 1960s. The company made paper bags, card boxes, labels and tickets for a range of different clothes stores. Sometimes they employed artists to illustrate these items.

This example was drawn by a commercial artist at the little-known Roseland Studio in the 1920s. It shows a glamorous young woman wearing an elegant fur-trimmed suit, together with the latest cloche hat and bobbed hair. Her outfit is tubular with a drop-waist, reflecting the rather androgynous styles of the decade. Such an image was clearly designed to appeal to fashionable customers and to reflect well on the clothes store which used it.

The V&A holds over 40 similar designs from Willetts & Sons.

Design, Roseland Studio for Willetts & Sons

Design
Roseland Studio (artists) for Willetts & Sons (retailers)
1920s
London
Pen and ink on paper
Museum no. E.3232-2004
Presented by Mrs Pamela Joan Gordon in memory of her father, George Frederick Willetts (1893-1961)

This design is from the packaging company Willetts & Sons, which was based in London from 1910 until the 1960s. The company made paper bags, card boxes, labels and tickets for a range of different clothes stores. Sometimes they employed artists to illustrate these items.

This example was drawn by a commercial artist at the little-known Roseland Studio in the 1920s. It shows a glamorous young woman wearing a fur-trimmed coat in the latest style, together with a cloche hat and bobbed hair. The coat is straight and rather tubular, with a dropped waist, reflecting the androgynous silhouette of the decade. Such an image was clearly designed to appeal to fashionable customers and to reflect well on the clothes store which used it.

The V&A holds over 40 similar designs from Willetts & Sons.

Photograph, Baron de Meyer

Photograph, fashion study
Baron de Meyer (1868-1946)
1920
Museum no. PH.210-1985
Copyright Estate of Baron de Meyer

This fashion study shows two models at a garden table, sporting wide brimmed summer hats over fashionable bobbed hair. Their dresses featured dropped waists and a straight silhouette, typical of the decade, when busts were flattened and curves disguised.

Coat, Liberty & Co. Ltd.

Coat
Liberty & Co. Ltd.
1928
London
Fine woollen face cloth, lined with satin
Museum no. T.71-1982

Liberty's - a trendsetting fashion store in Regent Street, London - opened their dress department in 1884 under the guidance of the designer and former architect E. W. Godwin (1833-1886), a crusader for dress reform. This coat was especially designed and made for Mrs Hazel Moorcroft. The block-printed design of the lining fabric first appeared in about 1912 and was constantly re-issued - most recently in the 1970s.  The cloche hat worn with it here is very typical of the 1920s.

Evening dress, Callot Soeurs

Evening dress
Callot Soeurs
About 1922
Paris
Printed silk voile, embroidered with sequins and beads, and trimmed with lace
Museum no. T.74-1974
Given by Lady Victoria Wemyss

Superb materials and top-quality workmanship combine to create this stunning evening dress. Light-reflecting beads and sequins had long been popular decoration for evening fabrics, but in the 1920s the fashion reached its peak. The embroidery follows the lines of the printed floral design to enhance the pattern and catch the light. This dress was designed by the fashion house Callot Soeurs. Four sisters, Marie, Marthe, Regina and Joséphine, had opened a lace shop in 1888. The eldest, Marie (Madame Gerber), developed the couture side of the business at 9 avenue Matignon, Paris, where it continued until the mid 1930s. The sisters worked with exquisite and unusual materials, including Chinese silks and rubberised gabardine. Callot Soeurs was also known for its use of lace and decorated sheer fabrics.

Pair of shoes, Lilley & Skinner

Pair of shoes
Lilley & Skinner (manufacturers)
About 1925
Belgium
Gold kid, painted and lined with grey kid
Museum no. T.125&A-1962

This pair of ladies' evening shoes, in gold kid, is painted and lined with grey kid. It is labelled 'Hand made expressly in Belgium for Lilley & Skinner Ltd., London', and painted with a pattern of multi-coloured sprigs.

The 1920s produced some of the most exciting shoes of the century, with tremendous variety in cut, colour and ornamentation. Most shoes were high-heeled, even for dancing, necessitating straps over the instep. Bright colour mixes reached a peak by 1925.

Evening ensemble, Nabob

Evening ensemble
Nabob
About 1927
London
Silk georgette, the belt embroidered with metal thread
Museum no. T.144&A,C-1967
Given by Miss Emilie Grigsby

Skirts with handkerchief points were particularly fashionable in the late 1920s. They were forerunners of the longer skirts that became generally accepted by 1929. Soft, light-silk fabrics proved ideal for this bias-cut flowing style. Diaphanous silks were usually worn with matching petticoats, or laid over the foundation of the dress. The few garments designed by Nabob in the V&A's collection are made from imported 'exotic' materials.

Afternoon dress, La Samaritaine (retailers)

Afternoon dress
La Samaritaine (retailers)
1929
Paris
Silk georgette, printed with a floral motif, hand and machine sewn
Museum no. T.171-1964
Given by Mrs M. Massey-Stewart

This below-the-knee day dress made of printed silk chiffon is slightly gathered at a normal waistline on an elastic band. The skirt has a minutely pleated yoke that runs across the hips. There are two sets of fine pleats on the front of the skirt, which flares out slightly towards the knees. The printed pattern of waved bands of massed flower-heads is carefully disposed in all pieces of the dress. On the bodice, sleeves and skirt yoke the bands run diagonally, while on the skirt's bias-cut gores they run horizontally. The minute pin-tucks on the bodice, sleeves and skirt are hand sewn. This design is typical of the years following 1929, when flowing summer dresses in gossamer fabrics with floral prints were popular. Such delicate silks are extremely difficult to handle and sew, demanding a great deal of skill and patience.

'Byzance' evening dress, J. Patou

'Byzance' evening dress
Jean Patou (1880-1936)
1924
Paris
Silk, embroidered with glass bugle beads and imitation baroque pearls, lined with georgette, and fastened with metal hooks and eyes
Museum no. T.198-1970
Given by Lord and Lady Cowdray

This sleeveless dress has a low square neckline, which was popular in the the mid 1920s. Its straight bodice is embroidered with a design that reveals the influence of Egyptian patterns. Jean Patou (1880-1936) was born in Normandy, France, the son of a tanner. His uncle owned a fur business, which Patou joined. In 1914 he opened a small dressmaking business, Maison Parry, in Paris and sold his entire opening collection to an American buyer. His career was interrupted by the First World War of 1914-1918, but in 1919 he reopened his salon, this time under his own name. His collections continued to be a great success. Along with 'Coco' Chanel he was considered a leading exponent of the androgynous 'garçon' look, creating smart, tubular, well-tailored clothes. Throughout the 1920s he also consistently championed the shorter length of skirt that did much to stimulate the demand for stockings. His long-waisted evening dresses with their emphasis on luxurious design and rich decoration were worn by famous actresses, such as Louise Brooks, Constance Bennett and Mary Pickford. Patou died in 1936, and his brother-in-law, Raymond Barbàs, took over the business. In 1963 the artistic direction of the company was taken over by Michael Goma.

Evening dress suit, Charles Wallis Ltd.

Evening dress suit
Charles Wallis Ltd.
1923, London
Woollen cloth, with silk trimming and lining
Museum no. T.232 to B-1962
Given by Mrs E.L. Rothfield

By the 1920s the full evening dress suit had crystallised into a recognisable and lasting style. It consisted of a tail coat, a white waistcoat and trousers to match the coat. The coat was cut as double-breasted but was always worn open. Changes in fashion did occur, but they affected details such as the width of the lapel or the cut of the trousers.

This suit was worn by the husband of the donor. She dated each item in her collection and also sent the accessories that she considered appropriate for each outfit. Mr Rothfield died in 1931. He was a slim, elegantly dressed man, who was meticulous about his dress.

Dress, J. Lanvin

Dress
Jeanne Lanvin (1867-1946)
1922-3
Paris
Black silk taffeta trimmed with machine-embroidered silk chenille and cream silk georgette bows and bands
Museum no. T.334-1978

Throughout the 1920s Jeanne Lanvin (1867-1946) excelled in the creation of ultra-feminine dresses with fitted bodices and long, full skirts, known as robes de style, of which this evening dress is an example. The black fine silk taffeta dress with boat neckline, and small, capped half-sleeves fastens with poppers down the left side. A pair of immense fern-like fronds are machine-embroidered in furry cream chenille on the skirt, and the cream colour is echoed in floating bands caught in silk georgette bows at the right sleeve and left waist.

Day dress, P. Poiret

Day dress
Paul Poiret (1879-1944)
1924
Paris
Fine flecked worsted, trimmed with rayon braid and tassels, machine stitched and hand finished
Museum no. T.339-1974

Paul Poiret (1879-1944) was born in Paris. He opened his own salon after serving an apprenticeship for Douçet and working for Charles Frederick Worth (1825-1895). He was one of the most creative fashion designers of the 20th century. He also revived fashion illustration, founded a school for the decorative arts and even diversified into perfume. He led the forefront of the artistic fashion movement away from the curvilinear silhouette of the early 1900s towards a longer, leaner line. His brilliantly coloured, looser clothes, often inspired by the 'orientalist' enthusiasm for Eastern fashions and traditions, were extremely popular.

The use of rayon trimmings on this garment is interesting. In spite of the rapid development in the 20th century of man-made fibres, couturiers tended to remain faithful to costly natural fabrics, with the exception of trimmings, such as the braid on this dress. Braid manufacturers were among the first bulk buyers of artificial silk, and were then joined by hosiery and underwear manufacturers. By the 1930s an increasing number of couturiers were attracted to the newly available and sophisticated rayon dress goods.

Dress, Drecoll

'Minuit sonne' dress
Drecoll (designer), Lord & Taylor (retailers)
1926
Paris (made); New York (sold)
Black silk voile, with diamanté decoration
Museum no. T.394-1989
Given by Miss N. Moyer

The label in this little black dress simply reads 'Lord and Taylor'. This was the name of a prestigious department store on Fifth Avenue in New York. They imported Paris original haute couture (high fashion) and excellent copies of French models. They also sold unnamed ready-to-wear American designs. An illustration in the American edition of the fashion magazine Vogue' of 15 April 1926 identifies this dress. It was called 'Minuit Sonne' and designed by Drecoll. The dress is made of fine black silk voile and decorated with strass (a brilliant paste used for imitation stones). The diamanté butterfly bursting over the hips is a perfect example of the Art Deco style. The sleeveless design and low, scooped neck would have allowed the wearer to remain cool during even the most energetic dances of the 1920s. And as she danced, the drifting tunic top and the central drapery of the skirt would have flowed with her.

Evening dress, Mariano Fortuny

Evening dress
Mariano Fortuny (1871-1949)
About 1920
Venice
Pleated satin
Museum no. T.432-1976
Given by Mrs Holland

The multi-talented Mariano Fortuny (1871-1949) was a painter, theatre designer, photographer, inventor and scientist, although he is best known as a creator of extraordinary fabrics and clothes. In 1909 he registered his design (based on the Ionic version of the Greek classical garment the chiton) for the 'Delphos' dress, of which this glistening black columnar example is a typical representative. The dress consists of five narrow widths of pleated silk hand-sewn into a tube just 47 cm wide. The neck and sleeves are adjusted to fit by concealed draw-strings, while a black rouleau, threaded with Venetian glass beads, laces the outer sleeves.