1928 Cody Proof Pictorial Map of Paris, France w/ Manuscript Annotations

Les américains des années folles.

This is a proof print of E. M. Cody's 1928 pictorial map of Paris that appeared on the cover of Fairchild's International Magazine, a trade journal for the fashion industry. A humorous work, it satirizes Americans' attitudes towards the French capital, particularly those of the American fashion elite who flooded Paris in September when the winter Haute Couture collections were released.

A Closer Look

Despite the joke compass at left, the map is oriented roughly towards the north, with the River Seine and the Eiffel Tower (labeled Citroen) in the foreground. Landmarks, restaurants, bars, hotels, and other recognizable locations are labeled throughout, with mock Anglicized names, such as the 'Champs Eliza' for the Champs-Élysées and the 'Rue de Ravioli' for the Rue de Rivoli. Other locations and illustrations refer to the expatriate and literary scene in Paris, such as 'The Two Magots' (Les Deux Magots) café in the foreground and the Café de la Paix near the center, longtime meeting places of literary and artistic types of many nations. The Louvre ('The Louvy') is described as 'the biggest department store I ever seen!' The map's title, the magazine's name, the Folies Bergère (at right), and an illustration of an automobile at the end of the Champs-Élysées are ghosted in.

Many of the jokes poke fun at Americans' consumerism, crudeness, and America-centrism, as with the replacement of Napoleon's statue on the Colonne Vendôme with George Washington and the stream of people leaving the American Express location towards the Café de la Paix.

Americans in Paris

Largely as a result of World War I (1914 - 1918), when many thousands of American doughboys passed through, Paris took on a revered and almost mythical status in the American imagination in the Interwar Period, especially among writers, artists, musicians, and fashion designers. An Anglo-American group of writers and artists, including Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and James Joyce, all resided, worked (sometimes), and partied (often) throughout the 'années folles' of 1920s Paris, memorialized in Hemingway's first novel, the roman à clef The Sun Also Rises (1926). Others, most famously Josephine Baker, found Paris far more accepting of Black people than the United States and decided to stay there. Composer George Gershwin only lived in Paris for a short time, but in 1928 composed one of the defining works of this milieu, the tone poem An American in Paris. Although cultural and linguistic barriers persisted, the era between roughly 1921 and the onset of the Great Depression witnessed considerable cross-cultural interaction and influence. The result was the distinctive, defining Art Deco aesthetic of the Jazz Age.

Fairchild's International Magazine

Fairchild's International Magazine was a richly-illustrated but relatively short-lived (Aug. 1926 - Feb. 1932) venture of the Interwar Period by the fashion-themed American company Fairchild Publications. Founded in 1892 by Edmund Fairchild, the company initially focused on men's fashion but found greater success in discussing and advertising women's fashion. Capitalizing on the increasing Transatlantic connections in the fashion world, Fairchild established offices in London, Paris, Berlin, and Vienna, and published Fairchild's International Magazine from both London and Paris. Likewise, the publication included advertisements in both French and English, although the articles were generally written in English.

In effect, the magazine existed to disseminate the newest fashion trends from Paris each season to readers in London, New York, and beyond, including professionals in the clothing trade. However, some articles dealt with other trends in women's clothing; for example, the issue in which the present map appeared on the cover included an article on English clothiers designing practical outfits for female aviators.

While perhaps a good concept, the magazine appears to have been a victim of the Great Depression, when spending on luxury clothing declined precipitously. Various other Fairchild ventures did manage to weather the Great Depression and, under the leadership of Edmund Fairchild's grandson John Fairchild, the company thrived in the Postwar period, turning Women's Wear Daily into a dominant publication in the industry and establishing the fashion magazine W in 1972.

Publication History and Census

This proof print was drawn by artist E. M. Cody for Fairchild's International Magazine and indeed went on to be published as the cover of the magazine's September 1928 issue. The artist is almost certainly Edward Morrill Cody, an American journalist in Paris who hobnobbed with American writers and artists of the 'Lost Generation.' As a proof print, this work is almost certainly a unique item.

Cartographer

Edward Morrill Cody (April 10, 1901 - November 23, 1987), also known as Morrill Cody, was an American diplomat, author, illustrator, and editor. He was born in Lake Forrest, Illinois, the son of writer Alpheus Sherwin Cody (November 30, 1868 - April 4, 1959), and attended secondary school in France. After returning to the U.S. to attend Amherst College (graduating in 1921), he returned to France as a journalist and befriended many American writers of the 'Lost Generation' living in or passing through Paris in the 1920s. He is known to have written a short play in 1920 and contributed two satirical illustrations as magazine covers for Fairchild's International Magazine in 1928, but most of his work remained journalistic at this time. In the 1930s, he relocated to New York City and worked as a magazine editor while also writing his own pieces, which were published in Literary Digest, among other publications. In 1934, Cody wrote This Must be the Place: Memoirs of Montparnasse, recording the recollections of a famous British bartender Jimmy Charters of the Dingo American Bar and Restaurant in Paris, a favorite of the 'Lost Generation.' He continued to write and then joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1941, being posted in Latin America and Europe over the next two decades. He eventually served as deputy director of the United States Information Agency under Edward R. Murrow and then as the head of the Paris bureau of Radio Free Europe. He continued to write books about Paris in his later years, including one about his favorite restaurants in the city.   Further Details...

Condition

Good. Some edge wear and scuffing. Laid down on card.