Four nineteenth-century fashion designs, each with a lithographic outline of a woman with dress designed and hand-painted in gouache for Maison Worth by the noted French fashion artist Charles Pilatte. The designs depict highly detailed and luxurious evening gowns in yellow, pink, blue and red, two signed within the plate, one signed in pencil and one in ink at the foot. Scattered foxing, else fine.  Individually matted and framed to 13 x 17 inches. 

Charles Pilatte's delicate fashion figures were drawn in the 1860's and 1870's on behalf of Parisian fashion houses like Worth, Madame Roger, Maugas or Ghys. With Emile Mille, Léon Sault and others Pilatte was one of the originators of these fashion illustrations, which in the mid-19th century were much sought after by luxury fashion houses keen to publicize their wares. Described as 'portrayers of costumes and dresses' in the Didot-Bottin from 1860 onwards, illustrators like Pilatte turned out a host of stereotyped gouache drawings that boosted the production and circulation of the models.  One indication of massive output is that in the case of the earlier examples, the silhouette, face and hands were hand-drawn until the early 1870s, but were then lithographed  - as here - to save time and make them more uniform. These equivalents of the models of 20th-century collections could then be sent out to clients or given to fashion magazine illustrators for more artistic reproduction of the house's creations. 

A similar set of his designs was featured at the exhibition l’Impressionnisme et la mode (Impressionism and fashion) at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, 2012–2013.

Charles Frederick Worth opened his design house in 1858, in partnership with Otto Bobergh in Paris at 7 Rue de la Paix, having previously established his reputation as a dressmaker for Gagelin, where he had won commendations at Universal Expositions in London and Paris.  While Worth was still at Gagelin, the house had supplied the trousseau for the newly married Empress Eugénie.  After opening his own house, the Empress appointed him court designer and her patronage increased his reputation and business success. He dressed leading performers of the day including Sarah Bernhardt, Lillie Langtry, Jenny Lind, and Nellie Melba and created unique special-event pieces for his best clients, such as masquerade ball costumes and wedding dresses.  Known for preparing several designs for each season, his designs incorporated elegant fabrics, detailed trimming, and superb fit. Wealthy women in the 19th century had four changes of dress during the day, and many clients would purchase their entire wardrobes from Worth.