The Artist’s Wife 1895

John George Brown rendered his wife in oil in 1895. Note how the brooch, a small but potent symbol, sits prominently at her chest. These emblems of personal identity and status have a long lineage, echoing from ancient fibulae used to fasten garments to medieval heraldic crests. Brooches, like the rings we give today, have historically been betrothal gifts, carrying layers of personal and familial meaning. The fact that it's a flower is especially interesting, because in the language of flowers, the Victorian flower meant 'lasting beauty and protection'. So we can think of Brown perhaps saying with this image that the woman he painted is beautiful and protected, by him. Consider the symbolic weight of these objects. They continue to resurface, evolve, and take on new meanings, weaving in and out of our collective consciousness.