Moussette

Rendered with swift, economical lines, the sketch resembles a field note or pattern draft. The artist used minimal shading and no color, relying instead on handwritten annotations in French to specify fabric types: 'serge bleue' for the coat, 'broderie laine verte' for the embroidery, and 'parements petit gris' for the lining. This method prioritizes accuracy over aesthetic finish, aligning with ethnographic documentation practices of the time.

The drawing entered the Museum of Ethnography’s collection shortly after its creation, likely as part of the designers’ archival efforts to catalog regional dress. Madeleine & Madeleine were known for systematic recording of textile details, and this piece is one of many such studies preserved for academic use. Its survival reflects institutional interest in preserving everyday clothing as cultural artifacts.

In the 1920s, French fashion designers increasingly turned to ethnographic methods to study traditional garments, seeking inspiration in regional textiles and construction techniques. This sketch aligns with that trend, capturing a garment likely worn by working women in rural or suburban France. The emphasis on wool, serge, and hand embroidery points to a time when machine-made fabrics were still supplementing, not replacing, artisanal methods.

This sketch remains a valuable resource for historians studying early 20th-century textile use and dressmaking practices. Its unembellished style and precise annotations offer insight into how designers documented material specifics before mass production altered garment construction. It contributes to broader understandings of how everyday clothing reflected social and economic conditions in interwar France.