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Californie

Date1917

Illustration CitationOriginal costume design for Californie, for "Milliardaires Americaines" with Madame Bénédicte Rasimi at Thêatre Fémina, Paris, 1917. One of 8 from the series.

MediumGouache with ground-powdered bronze on thin board

Dimensionscomposition: 8 1/2 × 6 1/2 in. (21.6 × 16.5 cm)
sheet: 10 5/8 × 7 1/2 in. (27 × 19.1 cm)

Credit LineAcquisition Fund, 2018

Object number2018-16

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Label TextFluid outlines, precise drawing, and inventive patterns and colors are the hallmarks of this costume study by Erté, a leading artist of the Art Deco period. Born in Russia, Erté derived his name from the French pronunciation of the initials of his birth name: Romain De Tirtoff. His designs of sinuous women draped in the height of fashion helped define style for a generation.