'Le Miroir de la Mode' was published for less than 2 years: 1803-4. 
The proprietress was Madame Lanchester, who was already a well known modiste and dress designer to the Regency period Haut Ton. She had an establishment at 17, New Bond Street and 'Le Miroir' must have started out as an extension of this. The frontispiece, on the left, with its classical pose suggests the high ideals she held for the publication.
She is mentioned, as 'Mrs Lanchester', a subscriber to Heideloff's 'Galley of Fashion' for the 1798-1799 volume. She also designed for some well known ladies' fashion publications, such as 'La Belle Assemblee' and Richard Phillip's 'Fashions of London and Paris', where she was credited by name in the text in 1800 (see below).
Later she is also known to have worked
on early editions of Ackermann's Repository, where she is described as of 'St.James Street' in 1809 and is credited fulsomely by name with some of the early gowns. The format of the plates for 'La Miroir' is certainly reminiscent of 'The Repository', although they were Quarto size, (see Full Dress, right).
I have a volume of 'La Miroir' which covers the whole of 1803 (24 fashion plates) and the first 5 plates for Vol 11, 1804. On the left is the first plate form January 1803. I am not su
re if the publication continued past the end of March 1804, although that was certainly Madame Lanchester's intention in the preface to volume II: "The success of the Miroir de la Mode' emboldens the Proprietor to commence another Year.........' Whether she finished it is another matter. We know she had financial difficulties (see below)
The colouring of the plates seems to vary, perhaps depending on whether the colume was a 'plain' or 'deluxe' edition. The colouring is gorgeous, but the plainer examples enable one to see the detailing more easily. Sometimes the colouring is completely overdone, as in this Court Dress from 1804.
Descriptions of the fashions were given in English, French and Italian and each montlhy issue was often accompanied by some prefactory remarks by Madame Lanchester herself, or a letter or comments from subscribers, both male and female.
The plate on the left is one of my favourites from 'La Miroir' - such a delightful pose!
PS Since first writing this article, I have located some more information about Madame Lanchester, in the National Archives and it s not really what I was expecting. Her first name is Ann and she is mentioned as 'Mrs Lanchester of Sackville Street' in the July 1800 edtion of Richard Phillip's 'Fashions of London and Paris'. In January 1803 an 'Ann Lanchester' residing at that address was described as in The Times as a 'dealer and chapwoman' and declared bankrupt. For the years 1806, 1807 and 1809, we have her address as 59, St.James Street and occupation :'milliner and dressmaker' recorded in the insurance details of Sun Alliance. Misfortune strikes again and further bankrupcy is reported again in The Times in 1810. Ironically the event is also recorded in the December edition of Ackermann's Repository, the publication she had been designing gowns for a couple of years before. One can only assume that, as was so often the case, her wealthy patrons were not good at paying their bills!
The proprietress was Madame Lanchester, who was already a well known modiste and dress designer to the Regency period Haut Ton. She had an establishment at 17, New Bond Street and 'Le Miroir' must have started out as an extension of this. The frontispiece, on the left, with its classical pose suggests the high ideals she held for the publication.She is mentioned, as 'Mrs Lanchester', a subscriber to Heideloff's 'Galley of Fashion' for the 1798-1799 volume. She also designed for some well known ladies' fashion publications, such as 'La Belle Assemblee' and Richard Phillip's 'Fashions of London and Paris', where she was credited by name in the text in 1800 (see below).
Later she is also known to have worked
on early editions of Ackermann's Repository, where she is described as of 'St.James Street' in 1809 and is credited fulsomely by name with some of the early gowns. The format of the plates for 'La Miroir' is certainly reminiscent of 'The Repository', although they were Quarto size, (see Full Dress, right). I have a volume of 'La Miroir' which covers the whole of 1803 (24 fashion plates) and the first 5 plates for Vol 11, 1804. On the left is the first plate form January 1803. I am not su
re if the publication continued past the end of March 1804, although that was certainly Madame Lanchester's intention in the preface to volume II: "The success of the Miroir de la Mode' emboldens the Proprietor to commence another Year.........' Whether she finished it is another matter. We know she had financial difficulties (see below)
The colouring of the plates seems to vary, perhaps depending on whether the colume was a 'plain' or 'deluxe' edition. The colouring is gorgeous, but the plainer examples enable one to see the detailing more easily. Sometimes the colouring is completely overdone, as in this Court Dress from 1804.
Descriptions of the fashions were given in English, French and Italian and each montlhy issue was often accompanied by some prefactory remarks by Madame Lanchester herself, or a letter or comments from subscribers, both male and female.
The plate on the left is one of my favourites from 'La Miroir' - such a delightful pose!PS Since first writing this article, I have located some more information about Madame Lanchester, in the National Archives and it s not really what I was expecting. Her first name is Ann and she is mentioned as 'Mrs Lanchester of Sackville Street' in the July 1800 edtion of Richard Phillip's 'Fashions of London and Paris'. In January 1803 an 'Ann Lanchester' residing at that address was described as in The Times as a 'dealer and chapwoman' and declared bankrupt. For the years 1806, 1807 and 1809, we have her address as 59, St.James Street and occupation :'milliner and dressmaker' recorded in the insurance details of Sun Alliance. Misfortune strikes again and further bankrupcy is reported again in The Times in 1810. Ironically the event is also recorded in the December edition of Ackermann's Repository, the publication she had been designing gowns for a couple of years before. One can only assume that, as was so often the case, her wealthy patrons were not good at paying their bills!
