Artwork
Manteau
Manteau is a drawing by Madeleine & Madeleine. It dates from 1924 and is held in the collection of the Palais Galliera - Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris.
About this work
Overview
Handwritten price annotations accompany the image, suggesting its use as a reference for textile and fur trade practices of the era.
Created in 1924 by the collaborative duo Madeleine & Madeleine, this drawing depicts a woman wearing a long brown fur coat. The work is part of the Museum of Ethnography’s collection and functions as a record of early 20th-century fashion, combining observational detail with commercial data. Handwritten price annotations accompany the image, suggesting its use as a reference for textile and fur trade practices of the era.
Subject & Meaning
The figure, dressed in a high-collared fur coat, simple slip, dark stockings, and low-heeled shoes, represents an everyday woman of the 1920s. Her gesture of holding the coat closed conveys modesty and practicality. The inclusion of handwritten fur prices transforms the image from a portrait into a commercial document, reflecting how fashion was quantified and commodified during a period of shifting social norms and consumer culture.
Technique & Style
The drawing employs fine, controlled lines to render the texture of the fur coat, using cross-hatching to suggest depth and density. The figure is rendered with restrained detail, emphasizing form over ornamentation. The ink-on-paper medium allows for precision, while the handwritten price list integrates text as a visual element, blurring the line between illustration and inventory.
History & Provenance
The work has remained in the collection of the Museum of Ethnography since its acquisition, likely entering the institution through a donation or field collection related to material culture studies. Its survival as a single sheet with annotations suggests it was used as a working document rather than a finished artwork, offering insight into how fashion data was recorded and circulated among designers or merchants in the 1920s.
Context
In the 1920s, fur coats were markers of status and seasonal necessity, particularly among urban women. The presence of detailed pricing indicates a growing market for ready-made garments and a shift toward standardized fashion commerce. This drawing reflects the intersection of domestic life, economic record-keeping, and the rise of consumer-oriented fashion industries in post-war Europe.
Legacy
As a hybrid artifact—part fashion sketch, part price list—the work contributes to the study of material culture and gendered labor in early 20th-century fashion. It preserves a quiet, unglamorous side of fashion history: the administrative and economic frameworks that underpinned personal style. Its preservation in an ethnographic museum underscores its value as a cultural document rather than an aesthetic object.
Artist & collection
Artist
These artists left a small but striking set of 1924 drawings and designs that mix fashion and line.
Museum
Palais Galliera - Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris
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