Hue Cocotte 

Théophile Alexandre Steinlen created this piece, Hue Cocotte, using crayon and brush. Notice the prominent presence of hats, laden with feathers and ornaments, a common element in depictions of Parisian life. This flamboyance echoes the peacock's display, a symbol laden with vanity, yet also of rebirth and immortality. Consider how these elaborate adornments resurface through history—from the towering wigs of the 18th-century French court to the bold hairstyles of the 1920s flappers. Each era adopts and reshapes these symbols of status, often entwined with notions of seduction and theatricality. The hand-held bag she grips tightly, a modern day equivalent to the attributes held by figures in antiquity that signal their profession or status. The psychoanalytic undertones of these objects suggest a deeper psychological dimension, perhaps a subconscious assertion of identity or a desire for transformation. These symbols, ever-evolving, reveal the complex interplay between personal expression and collective memory.