Le Beau Monde, January 1810.
“Evening Dress.”
In April 1809, the publishers of this magazine, John Browne Bell and J. Decamp, sold the magazine to John Tyler, who only kept it running until April 1810, when it ceased publication for good. During the year that Tyler published it, the fashion prints took on a very different look, clearly using different artists. Most striking in these prints, to me, is the absolutely beautiful rendering of faces, as here.
Most prints in this last year of publication are not signed by either the artist or the engraver, but the October 1809 fashion print is signed “Devis,” which would have been Arthur William Devis. It is also signed by the engraver, Thomas Cheesman. This print certainly resembles the style of this uncolored 1806 print from La Belle Assemblée that was drawn by Devis, especially the elegant delineation of drapery and the beautiful faces. I suspect Devis, who was primarily a portrait painter, was the artist for this Le Beau Monde print as well.
One of the frustrating things about the Tyler years is that not all fashion prints are described. There is always a section devoted to current trends in fashion, but a few months offer no mention of the print at all. Sadly, this is one of those months.
The fashionable fabrics for evening dress are stated to be satin, crepe, and velvet, with long sleeves. It’s difficult to tell which of those fabrics was used for this simple, but lovely, gold dress. The turban headdress might be the one described here:
“The Persian turban is also in great favor, it is in general composed of gold or silver tissue. In this case it will admit of no ornament, except an esprit, or feathers, which are placed in front.”
