In 1876, the same year Alexander Graham Bell placed the first-ever phone call, the Parisian couple Angèle and Alphonse Lancel released a debut line of smoking accessories signed “a. Lancel.” As Maison Lancel grew, Angèle wanted the brand to make more than just pipes, and insisted they design useful accessories for women. The brand’s first leather handbag was structured to be practical, featuring several interior pockets for extra storage. At a time when many women were confined to traditional roles within the home, Angèle’s work was pioneering — in building Maison Lancel, she helped redefine opportunities for women in French society.
Lancel went on to popularize women’s handbags and continued to create innovative designs, collaborating with artists and celebrities including Brigitte Bardot, Josephine Baker, Patrick Demarchelier, and Viviane Sassen. To celebrate the brand’s 140th anniversary this year, 200 pages of photographs and vintage ads are showcased in the book Lancel: Parisian Maison Since 1876, out now from Rizzoli. Click ahead for a preview, featuring illustrations by Marjane Satrapi and colorful photographs by various artists.
Lancel and illustrator Marjane Satrapi
Lancel and photographer Omar Victor Diop
Lancel and illustrator Marjane Satrapi
Lancel and artist Dan Cretu
Lancel advertising poster, 1987.
Lancel and photographer Omar Victor Diop
Lancel and illustrator Tristan Galdos Del Carpio
Advertisement for Aviona luggage, L’Illustration, 1929.
Illustrations/photographs by Omar Victor Diop, Dan Cretu, Marjane Satrapi, Tristan Galdos Del Carpio, Cyrille George Jerusalmi
