Modernism, Cover — Vincent

A pointed Belle Époque cover in which the 'New Woman' bends over her drafting board, slide-rule in hand, to redraw the social order.

Drawn by René Vincent. Published in La Vie Parisienne, N° 1. Paris, 6 January 1912.

Issued as the magazine's New Year cover, this image registers the rising visibility of women in scientific and technical professions in pre-war France. Vincent's clean draughtsmanship pre-empts the geometric clarity of the Art Deco decade ahead, and the magazine's tone — half satire, half admiration — captures the period's ambivalence about female modernity.

Chromolithograph. Sheet size approximately 38.5 × 28.8 cm. Very Good.