The Milliner (La modiste) 1893

Curator: Oh, this has such an ephemeral quality! Like a memory caught on paper. Editor: Absolutely. We’re looking at Norbert Goeneutte’s "The Milliner" from 1893, an etching that provides such a charming glimpse into the world of fashion and craftsmanship of the time. Curator: A world steeped in symbols of aspiration, of course. Note how the milliner herself is almost overshadowed by the mannequin head, by the hats, by these ideas of transformation. She's almost secondary, a vessel herself, maybe? Editor: I see that. There's a dreaminess, almost, about the soft lines, which seem to me a little unfixed. It’s as if the scene itself is constantly being refashioned. The hats themselves aren't clearly defined; they feel provisional, experiments in form. Curator: And hats in particular held profound meaning – social status, marital availability, mourning… they visually broadcast your place in the world. They also hid you! It’s a curious contradiction – reveal, yet conceal. This print definitely evokes that sense of performance of the self. Editor: I love how you read that tension! I think it really helps me understand why my eye keeps drifting to the woman's gaze, the milliner who almost blends into the shadow. Like, is this an intimate portrait, or is she part of the stage setting? Curator: The ambiguity is brilliant. She’s at once the architect of identity for others and perhaps seeking her own in the reflection. It really emphasizes the themes of representation. What do you see? What are you actually *looking* at? Editor: You know, I came in seeing a quaint, vaguely sentimental scene, but now I feel like I'm inside the psychology of a business – and also of an era of strict social construction. Amazing that a few lines etched on copper can do so much! Curator: The layered symbolism works in precisely that way, creating that dialogue with culture itself. Every single brushstroke points in a certain direction that you think that you need to know about as part of yourself in culture. Fascinating! Editor: This has been an unexpected adventure. Thanks to Norbert Goeneutte, and of course to you, I'm off to look at hats – and the wearers - with very new eyes!