Beauty of form and grace of vesture . There is intrinsic elegance in the long lines ofa costume. In order to secure that elegance,the mechanics who illustrate fashion-books, hav-ing sacrificed height bymaking a long, wasp-likewaist, endeavour to atone forthe blunder by adding un-natural length to the lowerlimbs, making their figuresnine and ten heads high,while classic models areonly seven and one half oreight heads proportions are ut-terly bad. Truth to nature is an essential qualityof every work of art. Whatever contradicts na-tural structure is unwarrantable, unjustifiable,intoler
Beauty of form and grace of vesture . There is intrinsic elegance in the long lines ofa costume. In order to secure that elegance,the mechanics who illustrate fashion-books, hav-ing sacrificed height bymaking a long, wasp-likewaist, endeavour to atone forthe blunder by adding un-natural length to the lowerlimbs, making their figuresnine and ten heads high,while classic models areonly seven and one half oreight heads proportions are ut-terly bad. Truth to nature is an essential qualityof every work of art. Whatever contradicts na-tural structure is unwarrantable, unjustifiable,intolerable. Fashion periodically proclaims fantastic man-dates, and women slavishly accept and conform.(See Fig. lO.) Have not these a sense of indispu-table supremacy? Are they not in the zenith ofaccomplished performance ? Do they not feelthat they have struggled, and conquered success,empty though it be ? In spite of their easy air ofsuperiority, are they quite comfortable? We see Fig. Fig. 7. — Venus of Milo. BEAUTY OF FORM. 25 these persons everywhere, till our e\es ache, and weenumerate possible compensations for blindness.
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectclothinganddress
