La Mode Artistique and the fashion plates of Gustave Janet

Little is known about Gustave Janet. Born in France in 1829, he became a draughtsman and lithographer, working for a variety of publishers before his death in 1898.  His art can be seen in a number of works, including illustrations for an edition of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, published in 1860 by Bell & Daldy (London) and The Illustrated Byron, published in London ca. 1855. His main work seems to have centered around fashion illustrations, and it is his name that is associated with this set of fashion plates from La Mode Artistique par Gustave Janet.

Lithography was invented in Bavaria in 1796, and became an alternative method for creating multiple copies of a drawing. Unlike engraving, in which the image in scored onto a plate, lithography uses a chemical process to create an image on to smooth limestone. The process was refined in the early 19^th century, enabling the flat stone plate to be used for longer and more detailed runs of an illustration. 

Lemercier & Cie was founded by Joseph Rose Lemercier (1803 – 1887). Between 1850 and 1870 it was the largest lithographic company in Paris, with fashion illustrations accounting for 40% of its total production.

Resource: Information on Joseph Rose Lemercier was found at the web site of the Ecole Nationale des Chartes, and accessed on June 11, 2019.