Erté - Tcherkess, dessin d'un manteau pour l'hiver 1915-1916

Dans ses mémoires Erté, things I remember, an autobiography publiées en 1975, Erté revient sur l'identification de ses dessins originaux et sur les copies réalisées par ses collaborateurs : "Since 1915, I have kept as many of my original drawings as possible. Originals sent to Harper's Bazaar were always returned after reproduction in accordance with one of the clauses in my contract. As for my theatre designs, I nearly always kept the originals an gave copies to the costumiers.

I trained several copy-artists who were remarkably accurate - so much so that many people have taken their copies for my originals. I have frequently spotted these at auction sales and exhibitions. Normally I would stamp every orignal drawing on the back with the words 'Compositon Originale' ; copies were stamped 'Reproduction par Erté de son oeuvre originale'. Unfortunately, due to the fact that I often had to supply designs at short notice, some of my drawings were not properly stamped. For this reason I am now kept busy verifying my original drawings from among studio copies.Occasionally, when I had time, I would design some compositions for future exhibition, using he idea of my original with a suitable setting.

In Monte Carlo I trained two young men as copy-artists. They were excellent pupils but, since they both married,they could not follow me when I left Monte Carlo for Paris. My best copy-artists were Emile Gallois, who has now been dead some years, Jacques Pellerin who has retired, and Madame Diselyn who is still working with me."

Erté (Romain de Tirtoff) débute sa carrière auprès de Paul Poiret pour lequel il dessine des robes mais aussi des costumes de scène à partir de la fin de l'année 1912. A l'époque de la guerre, Erté quitte Paris pour MonteCarlo et commence alors à dessiner pour les magazines. Dans son autobiographie, Erté date de janvier 1915, la publication de sa première couverture pour Harper's Bazaar. Il dessine ensuite en 1916 quelques mois pour Vogue jusqu'à ce que Hearst lui propose un contrat d'exclusivité de 10 ans pour Harper's Bazaar. Erté raconte sa riche vie dans une autobiographie parue en 1975 chez Quadrangle: Erté, things I remember, an autobiography. 

Erté revient sur sa collaboration avec Harper's Bazaar dans sa biographie Things I remember mais aussi Erté Fashions by Erté dans lequel il écrit: "In 1913 I had done designs for a charming magazine La Gazette du Bon Ton and in the autumn of 1914 I had the idea of submitting a cover and some designs to either Vogue or Harper's Bazaar. I hesitated between the two and tossed a coin. Harper's Bazaar won and some weeks later, on my birthday, I received a cheque from Harper's asking me to send more material suitable for cover designs and for inclusion in the magazine. My first cover and series of dress designs for Harper's appeared in 1915. Some months after the issue had been published Vogue asked me for dress accessory and interior designs. When I accepted, William Randolph Hearst (Harper's owner) took umbrage of my contribution to Vogue and offered me a ten-year executive contract with his magazines, leaving me free to do other types of work. I signed this contract with pleasure, as ten years later I signed another of similar duration. In this way began my long collaboration with Harper's Bazaar that lasted twenty-two years."

Une partie de la bibliothèque d'Erté en possession de son amie Hélène Martini, ancienne directrice des Folies Bergères fut dispersée aux enchères en 2012. De nombreux volumes consacrés au costume et à la mode figuraient dans cette vente. Parmi ces livres certains d'entre eux portent sur la page de garde le tampon figurant la signature d'Erté, d'autres ont été reliés spécialement pour l'artiste avec en queue du dos, son chiffres (R. T.).