Artwork
Buvard
Buvard is a drawing by Carven. It dates from 1953 and is held in the collection of the Palais Galliera - Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris.
About this work
Overview
Buvard is a mid‑20th‑century drawing attributed to the French fashion house Carven, dated circa 1953. The work is part of the collection of the Museum of Ethnography, where it is displayed as an example of post‑war fashion illustration.
Subject & Meaning
The image depicts a woman dressed in a loose‑fitting pink ensemble consisting of a wide‑cut jacket and matching trousers. She accessorises with blue gloves and a coordinated hat, and adopts a confident pose with one hand on her hip, suggesting a blend of elegance and modernity in everyday wear.
Technique & Style
Executed with confident, uncomplicated lines, the drawing employs flat areas of colour without gradations or shading. The simplicity of the marks and the swift handling convey the impression of a preliminary sketch, likely intended as a rapid visual proposal for a garment design.
History & Provenance
Created around 1953, the piece entered the Museum of Ethnography’s holdings at an unspecified date, where it remains catalogued under the title Buvard. The inscription in the corner appears to be a name or code, possibly identifying the model or the design reference.
Context
The work emerges from a period when fashion houses increasingly used illustration to communicate new silhouettes and colour palettes. Carven, known for its refined yet accessible clothing, produced such sketches to explore ideas before finalising garments, reflecting the collaborative process between designers and illustrators in the early 1950s.
Artist & collection
Artist
These delicate ink-on-paper drawings capture the quiet poetry of everyday things: pinecones, reeds, apples.
Museum
Palais Galliera - Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris
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