Bonnet c. 1937

Curator: Here we have Fanchon Larzelere’s "Bonnet," created around 1937, using watercolor and colored pencil. What's your first take? Editor: There's a delicacy to it. A little fragile, a study of form, definitely evocative of another era. It feels precious, maybe hinting at the domestic labor it implies? Curator: Yes, I see that too. This bonnet, seemingly simple, reflects broader socio-economic histories related to fashion and the material conditions of women during the pre-war period. How would an everyday object such as a bonnet play its part? Editor: The rendering seems so precise; one can almost feel the weight of the fabric and see the texture of the lace. Is this precision a form of valuing the handmade? Think of the unseen hands involved in the fabrication of this delicate object – the spinner, the weaver, the lacemaker... Curator: Absolutely, the bonnet then functions as a kind of status marker. Who could afford this versus something mass-produced? What cultural messages would this bonnet signal? These illustrations were probably produced for sale or personal records, capturing moments in fashion history, the history of feminine ideals... Editor: This focus on the handcrafted does speak volumes about its implied function. It serves both a practical and aesthetic need for its wearer. What if the colors signify certain socio-economic indicators in the early part of the 20th century, telling stories of the wearer’s status? Curator: Color symbolism absolutely played a part. Bonnets weren't simply functional objects. And thinking of the archival function, what kind of audiences was this for? Fellow designers? A middle-class lady keeping track of latest fashions, or documenting and emulating styles from illustrated magazines? Editor: Looking closer, you’re correct in noting its fashion plate function. How meticulously it shows how the thing hangs, how it’s made up from parts…it also looks a bit home-made – and those colours! Is this an affectation, to imitate wealthier clothes but on a more constrained budget? It's intriguing to consider. Curator: Precisely. This drawing makes us consider the garment’s journey through social classes, the ways the wearers were making, or re-making themselves through fashion. Editor: Yes, looking past the art of it, there's an element of production involved. The choices – to depict in coloured pencil or watercolor—become deeply considered ones that show much thought, consideration and skill.