Hairpins 

Albert Joseph Moore made this watercolor painting, Hairpins, in the late 19th century. Moore was an English artist known for his depictions of languid female figures, often set against opulent backdrops, deeply embedded within a classical aesthetic. This image of a woman pausing in a moment of quiet reflection offers a glimpse into Victorian ideals of beauty and femininity. The aesthetic movement, to which Moore belonged, emphasized beauty and sensual experience over moral or narrative content. This woman is adorned with flowers and jewelry, with her dress and the textiles around her carefully arranged. It’s hard not to wonder, though, if these women, eternally posed for our aesthetic pleasure, ever longed for something more than to simply be beautiful. Their beauty feels strangely at odds with the limitations placed upon them. While the painting celebrates a certain kind of beauty, it also subtly asks us to consider the complexities of representation and the gaze. What does it mean to be seen and admired, yet perhaps not fully understood?