Pair of Framed Hand-Colored La Mode Illustrée Fashion Engravings

This item is a pair of vertically oriented Victorian-era fashion plates, specifically hand-colored steel engravings from the French publication 'La Mode Illustrée.' The plates depict several women dressed in elaborate high-fashion garments from the mid-to-late 19th century, featuring hoop skirts, ruffles, and intricate lace details. The illustrations are set against a subtle outdoor garden backdrop. Each print is housed in a contemporary, deep-set wooden shadow-box style frame with a light brown walnut finish. The prints show significant signs of aging, including yellowing and foxing (brown spots) throughout the paper substrate, which is consistent with the estimated age of original prints from the 1860s-1880s. Beneath the figures, French text is visible, including the title 'La Mode Illustrée' and likely the name of the illustrator (such as Adele-Anaïs Toudouze or Héloïse Leloir) and the address of the publication in Paris. The coloration is soft, likely achieved through hand-tinting over the black-ink engraving. The frames appear to be mid-20th-century additions, providing a modern protection for these delicate antique works on paper.