Lady With Green Hat 

Pierre-Auguste Renoir sketched this pastel drawing of a woman with a green hat at the end of the 19th century. The rapid strokes and soft coloring are characteristic of the Impressionist style, but this image also provides a window into the social life of Paris at the time. Renoir and his contemporaries were dedicated to representing modern life, particularly the leisure activities of the middle and upper classes. Hats like these were a signifier of wealth and status. The Paris fashion industry was booming during this time and women of this class often followed the latest trends in fashion. These women helped to create a visual culture of spectacle and display. By sketching images of fashionable women, Renoir was not just representing beauty, but also participating in the construction of a modern, commercialized society. Historical research into fashion and commercial history can tell us more about this relationship.