A photograph of a French designer with a number of dolls dressed in the latest fashions, taken by Bishop Marshall for the Daily Herald newspaper on 11 September, 1945.

A photograph of a French designer with a number of dolls dressed in the latest fashions, taken in September 1945 by Bishop Marshall for the Daily Herald.

180 'fashion marionettes' were on display at the Princess Galleries in Piccadilly, London. After the second world war fashion was immediately seen as playing a part in the recovery of the French economy. Designers often produced miniature version of their designs to give an idea of cut and style, without wasting time and materials making a full size example.