Authentic La Vie Parisienne 1921 A. Vallée "Les Sports Féminins — " Illustrated Centerfold Print

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A rare and visually striking original centerfold from the celebrated French magazine La Vie Parisienne, featuring a dynamic Art Deco … Read more A rare and visually striking original centerfold from the celebrated French magazine La Vie Parisienne, featuring a dynamic Art Deco composition by renowned illustrator A. Vallée. Titled "Les Sports Féminins — Mesdemoiselles, Faites-Vous Des Cuisses, Mais Ne Vous En Faites Pas Trop!" ("Women's Sports — Ladies, Build Your Thighs, But Don't Build Them Too Much!"). This large-format satirical illustration humorously explores the growing popularity of women's athletics during the 1920s. A lively array of sporting activities—including track and field, swimming, diving, boxing, wrestling, fencing, gymnastics, rugby, and acrobatics—unfolds across the composition, reflecting society's fascination with the modern athletic woman.

At either side of the centerfold, elegantly stylized female figures labeled "Avant" (Before) and "Après" (After) create a playful visual commentary on contemporary attitudes toward fitness, beauty, and femininity. The result is a sophisticated blend of humor, fashion, and social observation that perfectly captures the spirit of the Jazz Age.

Publication: La Vie Parisienne
Issue: April 21, 1921
Illustrator: Armand Vallee (1884-1960)
Title: "Les Sports Féminins — Mesdemoiselles, Faites-Vous Des Cuisses, Mais Ne Vous En Faites Pas Trop!"
Size: 13" x 20"
Particularity: Double Page Centerfold

La Vie Parisienne remains one of the most celebrated illustrated publications of the Belle Époque and Art Deco eras. Individual interior illustrations featuring fashionable women, cabaret culture, and Parisian social satire have become highly desirable decorative works, particularly when framed as standalone art pieces. La Vie Parisienne was a French weekly magazine founded in Paris in 1863 and popular at the start of the 20th century. Originally it covered novels, sports, theater, music and the arts. In 1905 the magazine changed hands and the new editor Charles Saglio changed its format to suit the modern reader. It soon evolved into a mildly risqué erotic publication. See less