Afternoon Tea c. 1895

Editor: So, this is "Afternoon Tea" by James Abbott McNeill Whistler. It's a delicate sketch. What strikes me is the women seem almost trapped within the lines. What symbols do you see at play here? Curator: It's fascinating how Whistler uses line to suggest containment, isn't it? The women, framed by the table and each other, evoke a powerful sense of Victorian social constraint. Consider the hat, a bird perhaps? A symbol of freedom, ironically perched upon a composed sitter. Editor: That's interesting. I never thought about the hat that way. Thanks for pointing that out! Curator: You're welcome. Visual symbols are often about cultural memory; they evolve but always carry traces of their past.