La Mode, 3 août 1833, Pl. 318 : Chapeau de paille de riz (...) 1833

This print, made in France in 1833, presents a fashionable lady and two young girls adorned in the latest styles. Dominating the composition are the elaborate hats, or bonnets, each a unique expression of status and taste. Note how they are decorated with ribbons, lace, and even wheat. The wheat can be traced back to ancient agricultural societies, symbolizing fertility and abundance. Yet, within the context of this print, it signifies something new, something of that time: prosperity and refinement. The bonnets are reminiscent of halos that surround saints in religious paintings. This association elevates the wearers, imbuing them with a sense of moral purity, perhaps, reflecting society’s expectations of women and girls. Yet, as symbols evolve, in our own time, the bonnet has reemerged in popular culture, worn for different reasons: a reclamation of identity, a statement of resistance, challenging the very notions of femininity and status it once represented. As we consider the cyclical progression of these symbols, from sacred to secular, from indicators of status to emblems of rebellion, we see how cultural memory shapes and reshapes our visual world, reflecting the ever-changing dynamics of society.