Susini 1858 - 1869

This photograph of Susini was captured by Jeremiah Gurney in New York. The most striking element is the top hat held casually in his hand, a symbol deeply rooted in the social rituals of the 19th century. The hat transcended mere utility, evolving into a potent signifier of status and belonging. We see its echoes in earlier aristocratic headwear, from the plumed hats of Renaissance nobility to the powdered wigs of the Enlightenment, each iteration proclaiming its wearer’s place within the social hierarchy. But here, the hat’s symbolic weight shifts. It speaks to the rising bourgeois class, eager to adopt the emblems of established power. Consider, too, the evolution of this form: hats of different shapes appear across various eras and cultures, signifying authority, mourning, or religious affiliation. The top hat, however, captures something unique—the aspirations and anxieties of a society in flux. Note how the man holds the hat as a prop. It's as if he's projecting an image of self-assuredness, a performance for the camera that speaks volumes about the era's collective psyche.