A collection of 12 illustrated advertising brochures from the house of Guesdon, a tailor of coats, suits, and shirts, shoemaker, and hatter for men, located at 10 rue Geoffroy-Marie in Paris.
FULL DESCRIPTION & PRICE: GUESDON 12 items
[Men’s fashion catalogues from the firm GUESDON].
Paris, [Draeger, Devambez et al.], [c. 1910-1930].
A collection of 12 illustrated advertising brochures from the house of Guesdon, a tailor of coats, suits, and shirts, shoemaker, and hatter for men, located at 10 rue Geoffroy-Marie in Paris. The firm’s motto was “Habillez-vous richement [dress elegantly]” and these catalogs follow through, demonstrating a range of options for the smartly dressed man in the early-20th century.
This attractive range of catalogs testifies to the variety of products the advertising strategies Guesdon employed over a period of approximately 20 years; these fully priced and detailed catalogs give excellent insight into economic as well as sartorial matters in the first third of the 20th century.
The firm relied on well known artists, writers, and journalists for the imagery and text in their catalogs.
The one dozen items here feature text by “Curnonsky” i.e., Maurice Edmond Sailland (1872,-1956), best known by his pen-name Curnonsky, the Prince of Gastronomy, a celebrated journalist and writer known for his work on culinary matters. (In his text below, "Le chic pour tous", he stresses dressing for the occasion, reminding readers that "one does not attend a duel in pajamas").
There are illustrations by Albert Jarach (1874–1962), a prolific artist, draftsman, and illustrator well-known for both Art Nouveau and Art Deco works over his long career.
And, there are photographs by Henri Manuel (1874-1947) who did fashion work for important designers like Chanel, Lanvin, Patou, and Poiret, while also photographing fashionable figures and artists like Robert de Montesquiou, Reynaldo Hahn, François Mauriac, etc.
The collection offers a brilliant survey of men’s fashion, and fashion advertising, in the first third of the 20th century.