The Bloomer Girl c. 1840 - 1845

This print, "The Bloomer Girl," was created by Edward Noyce, and features a woman in a red, knee-length dress over pantaloons. Consider how these "bloomers"—a symbol of radical change—echo the ancient trouser-wearing Amazons, figures who challenged the established order. Similarly, we observe how the figure holds a bouquet, a motif laden with meaning from antiquity to the Renaissance. The bouquet, often associated with Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, traditionally represents renewal and fertility. Yet, here, it seems almost a subtle act of defiance. In this context, the bouquet may be seen as a statement of individual freedom and a challenge to conventional expectations. We see here the cyclical return of symbols, each time imbued with the anxieties and aspirations of a new era, a potent reminder of the emotional and cultural currents shaping our visual world.