Artwork
Limon
Limon is a drawing by Carven. It dates from 1959 and is held in the collection of the Palais Galliera - Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris.
About this work
Overview
Limon, attributed to the French fashion house Carven and dated to around 1959, is a modestly sized illustration preserved in the Museum of Ethnography’s collection. The work presents a single figure rendered in line, accompanied by a small detached sketch of the garment’s construction.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure is a woman dressed in a fitted, short‑sleeved suit with a matching skirt, both featuring a faint checked pattern. Her hair is pulled back into a neat updo, and she wears low‑heeled shoes, suggesting a poised, everyday elegance typical of late‑1950s women's fashion.
Technique & Style
Carven employs precise line work and cross‑hatching to model form and fabric, creating subtle tonal variation without the use of color. A miniature pattern draft of the jacket appears beside the figure, indicating the designer’s interest in the garment’s construction.
History & Provenance
Created circa 1959, the drawing entered the Museum of Ethnography’s holdings at an unspecified date. The piece bears the artist’s signature, “Limon,” in the lower corner, confirming its attribution to Carven’s design studio.
Context
The illustration reflects post‑war French ready‑to‑wear trends, where streamlined silhouettes and modest detailing were favored. The inclusion of a pattern sketch aligns with the era’s emphasis on technical precision in fashion documentation.
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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