Quaker Bonnet c. 1937

Rosalia Lane made this study of Quaker bonnets, sometime between 1855 and 1995, in watercolor and graphite. The palette is fairly restrained, almost muted, in tones of brown, gray, and white. What strikes me is the way the artist uses different marks and techniques to create the effect of three dimensions, suggesting what it might have been like to touch these objects. You can almost feel the texture of the fabric, the softness of the quilted bonnet, and the delicate lines of the lace. Perhaps she was imagining the wearer of this headgear, and I find myself wondering what it might have been like to be Rosalia Lane, studying these bonnets under bright light, and translating them into drawings on the page. Lane’s detailed observation and rendering reminds me of the exacting studies of botanical specimens. Like scientists, artists are always looking, learning, and building on the visual discoveries of those who came before.