Date: c. 1930s
Origin: Great Britain
Brand: J. Roussel
This 1930s catalogue by French lingerie company J. Roussel, titled “The Art of Figure Sculpture,” offers a glimpse into the era’s design sensibilities, as well as the fashionable female form.
The cover page of this catalogue features an elegant illustration of a picturesque smiling woman, with a curly coiffure, draped in delicate lingerie. Positioned slightly off-center, she is surrounded by abstract black and white shapes, evoking the avant-garde influence of surrealism, championed by visual artists like Salvador Dali, as well as fashion designers like Elsa Schiaparelli.
Page three invites women to “be your own sculptor, with the belt by Roussel,” setting an empowering tone for the catalogue offerings. Products being sold, such as the brand’s belt, lend themselves well to the flowing, bias-cut styles of the day. Interestingly, many of the catalogue images focus on showcasing how the lingerie items can be worn beneath undergarments, underscoring their discreet, shaping qualities. One example on page four reads, “Model number 300 gives a supple flowing line,” alongside an illustration of a woman dancing, her dress billowing gracefully behind her.
The lingerie reflects the streamlined, slender fashionable silhouette of the 1930s, with a focus on a trim, youthful figure carried over from the 1920s. Page 8 introduces Roussel’s “slimming panties,” marketed as essential for “maintaining and achieving slim, youthful lines.” It appears that the catalogue may be marketed to young women, with their brassiere being described as for the “delicate lines of youth.” The notion of “sculpting” is central to the catalogue narrative, with the products touted as not only shapewear but also as tools for weight loss. J. Roussel makes the bold claim that their panties are simultaneously slimming and massaging, highlighting the brand’s use of an elastic tricot weave — a patented material designed to stimulate and strengthen muscles, in line with J. Roussel’s “sculpting” philosophy around undergarments.
Product prices range from approximately 1 pound and 10 shillings (worth around £75.99 in today’s pound sterling) to 11 pounds and 11 shillings (worth around £585.15 in today’s pound sterling), depending on the model. The brand offered a line of products for the more price-conscious client. The final page of this catalogue includes a mail order form, with directions for customers on how to correctly, and accurately measure themselves, in order to be able to “order by post with confidence.” The catalogue advertises various belts, panties and brassiere models, in shades coral, sky-blue, black, and white.
J. Rousell produced a variety of similar lingerie catalogues further into the twentieth century including varied imagery, including designs inspired by the natural world. A 1940s catalogue for example, likens women’s bodies to various species of flora and fauna. At the time, the brand’s lingerie was exclusively sold in Paris, Nice, and Marseille France, as well as London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, and Manchester in the United Kingdom. The catalogue lists the address 177 Regent Street, London, W.1.
From the collection of The Underpinnings Museum.
Many thanks to Liv Elniski for the object description and research.
