Wayne Benter Jung, Fashion Sketch of Josephine Baker, Post WWII
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Wayne Benter Jung, Fashion Sketch of Josephine Baker, Post WWII Gouache and ink on paper, 7.5" x 9.5" (sight), silver lacquered frame 11" x 9", circa late 1940s This vibrant fashion illustration represents Josephine Baker, the American-born dancer, singer, and actress whose international fame made her one of the most recognizable icons of the 20th century. Although often associated with her Parisian rise during the 1920s Jazz Age, Baker continued to embody glamour and modernity well into the 1940s and beyond, performing throughout wartime Europe, assisting the French Resistance, and reinventing her stage image for postwar audiences. The sketch, executed by Wayne Benter Jung (1919–2003), reflects this later phase of Baker’s career. Jung, a Wisconsin-born artist who studied at the Layton School of Art in Milwaukee and served in WWII, turned to fashion and theatrical design during his early postwar years. His work often balanced fine art, interior decoration, and fashion, situating him within the larger mid-century American dialogue between commercial design and artistic practice. Fashion Analysis The gown depicted here is emblematic of late 1940s fashion sensibilities: Silhouette: The tightly belted waist and elongated column form anticipate the couture revolution inaugurated by Christian Dior’s New Look...
Mid-20th Century American Modern Lacquer Drawings
Paper, Lacquer
