Gazette du Bon Ton.

The early 20th century was a time of dramatic change in fashion. The heavy clothes and cumbersome morality of the Victorian era began to be picked apart and cast off with the dawn of a new century and the death of the Queen herself in 1901. By 1913 fashionable silhouettes were more lithe, softer and more fluid than before. It was in this year that Lucien Vogel founded the Gazette du Bon Ton, recording the latest developments in fashion during this revolutionary period, with the aim of elevating it to an art form, to rank alongside painting, sculpture and music.

From the start, the Gazette strove to create an elitist image, distinguishing itself from larger and more mainstream periodicals like Vogue and Harper's. Even the title was derived from the French concept of bon ton, or timeless good taste. With that in mind, Vogel signed an exclusive contract with seven of top couture houses, to reproduce in strikingly vivid pochoir, the designer's latest creations. The magazine was also only available to subscribers with the yearly subscription rate equating to roughly 400 in today's money.

The Gazette included some of the greatest artists and illustrators of its day, notably Barbier, Bakst, Dufy, and Brunelleschi. It is the illustrations of these great artists that truly bring the Gazette to life and have ensured its longevity in the public consciousness since its inception in 1912 and its last issue in 1925.