Two French Girls – 1914

Two French girls in summer outfits, 1914

A serene river walk in the countryside provides the setting for two French girls in 1914. One child sits on a donkey and the second child reaches out to pick up the donkey’s lead. The child on the left wears shorts and a matching loose shift. The shift has a square neckline and short sleeves. Both the shorts and the shift are made of a red material printed with a white leaf pattern. Red “Mary Jane” sandals (made popular in 1902) and a matching red soft fabric hat with a black brim, black feather, and chin strap complete the outfit.

The child on the right wears the same material fashioned into a short, empire-waist full skirted dress with short puffed sleeves. She also wears red Mary Janes and a soft red fabric bonnet with a black chin strap. The two young girls stand on a cobblestone road with a stone wall and three white washed cottages are shown across the river with trees around them. This illustration belongs to a series of stylized drawings signed by “mfn,” entitled Costumes Parisiens for the Journal des dames.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges