René Bouët-Willaumez

Count René Louis Marie Bouët-Willaumez (12 June 1900 – 14 April 1979), also referred to by his signature R.B.W.[1] was a French fashion illustrator, primarily known for working for Vogue.

Biography

Bouët-Willaumez was born in Rennes on 12 June 1900, son of Count Henry Edouard Hervé Bouët-Willaumez and Fanny Marie Anne Dorange. His great-grandfather was Édouard Bouët-Willaumez an admiral in the French Navy, Édouard was the adopted son of Jean-Baptiste Philibert Willaumez (who was appointed a count by King Louis Philippe I in 1844 and with the permission of the King transferred his title to Édouard).[2][3] The Bouët-Willaumez family was settled around Belle Île though originally from Normandy.[4]

He studied engineering at the École Polytechnique in Paris,[4] before becoming a fashion illustrator at the encouragement of Vogue Paris editor-in-chief and fashion designer Main Bocher.[1]

The English Isabel 'Babs' Gadsden was Bouët-Willaumez's first wife, she worked for Vogue as a model and illustrator and would leave him for Vogue photographer John Rawlings.[4]

Bouët-Willaumez began working for American Vogue in 1929 and during this time a rivalry developed between Bouët-Willaumez and American fashion illustrator Carl Erickson.[5] Bouët-Willaumez married to German model and interior decorator Margaret Maléna Minnigerode before the outbreak of World War II (later divorced).[4] He moved to New York City at the beginning of World War II and continued to illustrate for American Vogue until 1953,[6] continuing contributions to the British and French editions until his 1958 retirement in France.[5]

In 1969, he married Fabienne de Boisboissel, de Boisboissel was from Breton nobility like Bouët-Willaumez.[4]

He died on 14 April 1979 in Clamart.[4]

English fashion illustrator David Downtown has cited Bouët-Willaumez as an inspiration.

References

  1. ^ a b Traill, Helena. "René Bouët Willaumez". Gray M.C.A. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  2. ^ "Family tree of Louis Édouard BOUËT-WILLAUMEZ (1)". Geneanet. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  3. ^ Levot, Prosper (1866). Les gloires maritimes de la France (in French). Arthus Bertrand. p. 557. En 1844, Louis-Philippe lui conféra le titre de comte, qu'il a transmis, avec l'agrément du roi, au capitaine de vaisseau Bouët, aujourd'hui vice-amiral, et qui a pris depuis cette époque le nom de Bouët-Willaumez.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Packer, William (13 March 1989). Fashion Drawings in Vogue: René Bouët-Willaumez. Michael Joseph. pp. 8–14. ISBN 978-0863501975.
  5. ^ a b Neo, Mr Geo (6 November 2015). "Fashion Fridays ~ René Bouët-Willaumez (1900–1979)". Illustrators’ Lounge. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  6. ^ "René Bouët-Willaumez - Biography, Shows, Articles & More". Artsy. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
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