Vanity Fair; Military and Navy; ‘Jim’, Major-General the Hon. James MacDonald, April 1, 1876 1876

James Tissot captured Major-General the Hon. James MacDonald in this watercolor caricature for Vanity Fair in 1876. Note the Major-General’s hat, a symbol of status and authority. Headwear, throughout history, denotes position. Consider the headdresses of pharaohs, popes, or kings; they mark the wearer as someone set apart. The hat has also been used to signal profession or allegiance, like military caps. Over time, however, hats shed religious and official functions to become mere sartorial choices; they are not unlike masks. The Major-General’s hat is no longer an emblem of power or military prowess, but rather a means of concealing and performing the self. The very nature of disguise is what makes the hat so psychologically rich; it allows wearers to play different roles, to become someone else, or to hide altogether. This is a cultural artifact continually changing over time.