Modestudie met verschillende posities van hoofden en hoeden 1703

Curator: Looking at this pen and ink drawing, I see an echo of countless fashionable women staring back. It's like a botanical study, but instead of plants, it's all hats and hairdos. Editor: You're right; there's something regimented and yet also lively about the composition. It makes me think of a sampler, the kind young women used to practice their needlework, but here, the craft is fashion itself. Curator: The artist, Bernard Picart, created this in 1703. It’s titled, in Dutch, "Fashion study with various positions of heads and hats". The Rijksmuseum has this delightful example of a genre scene drawing. The delicate pen strokes and the ink bring them to life, giving them this lightness of being that still feels quite relevant to this day. Editor: It certainly evokes the performative nature of high society! I'm struck by how Picart captures the attitude suggested by each hat. Hats, historically, have been powerful signals of identity, and it’s as if each tilt of the head is revealing something of the wearer's social aspirations. Curator: Definitely, but to me it is like they have secrets to whisper in the shadows, or maybe naughty giggles at a party, even a lover’s dark glare for certain people in the group. The symbols he used here are beyond our scope, but back then, everyone knew that hats expressed who they are and also gave out a lot about people who were looking at it from the outside. Editor: Exactly! These aren't just fashion accessories; they're carefully constructed pronouncements of social status and personal narrative. Think about the head coverings that denoted religious affiliations or marital status, as well. The head, literally and symbolically, bore the weight of social expectation. I feel a deep connection with women in history thanks to this. Curator: Thinking about how easily accessible fashion has become, this makes me miss simpler times where everyone around the city was wearing hats and where, whether they know it or not, artists were writing whole essays through clothes. I wonder what Mr. Picart is thinking. Editor: He definitely caught a specific cultural moment there! Hats were certainly saying so much more. Curator: This drawing encapsulates how attire speaks volumes without a single spoken word. Editor: It is a symphony of symbolic visual communication. Fascinating!