Spring into Summer

A belated hellooooo October! Again I find myself apologising not only for this tardy posting, but my continued absence. My drawing board and typewriter have taken me away from SNAP of late.

Isn’t this cover of the June 1938 issue of Vogue lovely? It is by a French artist René Bouët-Willaumez. He was commonly known as Willaumez, and worked first for the French (in 1929), then British editions of Vogue. In the first year of WWII he, along with many other European illustrators, moved to New York. Thereafter he worked only for American Vogue.

His brushy and fluid style was influenced by one of my favourite illustrators of the era: Carl Erickson. His illustrations show such confidence and deft handling of brush and paint. There is nothing hesitant in his linework. Dramatic lighting, defined modelling and striking and unusual colour combinations are hallmarks of his work.

This ‘Summer Fashion and Festivities’ cover is beautifully elegant and unpredictable, and how refreshing to see how daring Vogue was once upon a time: showing the back of the model! And how tiny is the masthead? Can you imagine them trying this today? Of course, this cover was executed in the daring heydey of fashion illustration, and there was much less competition on the newsstands too.

Have a happy October!