Jean Honoré Fragonard (1732–1806)
Dites donc s’il vous plaît (Say Please). Former title: La Maîtresse d’école, la Jeunesse comme la vieillesse a ses entêtements (The schoolmistress, Youth like old age has its stubbornness)
(In the Wallace Collection)
THE SCHOOLMISTRESS c. 1780.
After his marriage Fragonard’s brush turned to the glorification of family life; and one of the most beautiful designs he conceived in this exquisite series was the picture of the schoolmistress and her small pupils-here chasteness of feeling has taken the place of levity; and purity of statement is evidenced even in the half-nude little fellow who is receiving his first lesson in culture.
Source: Fragonard by Haldane Macfall (1860-1928). Publisher London: T. C. & E. C. Jack; New York: F. A. Stokes, 1909.
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Support and Seduction: The History of Corsets and Bras (Abradale Books) by Beatrice Fontanel.
Thoughout the ages, women's breasts have been subjected to the endless whims of fashion. From the ancient Greeks to Mae West and Madonna, this light-hearted book charts the changing shapes of female beauty. The elegant and amusing images - including fashion drawings, paintings, photographs, and film stills - illustrate the often surprising history of the garments women have worn for support - and seduction.
