The People Deliberate 

Jean-Louis Forain sketched "The People Deliberate" using graphite. Notice the array of hats scattered across the table; these are no mere accessories. The hat, since antiquity, has been a powerful symbol of status and identity. The top hat, prominently placed here, spoke of bourgeois respectability in Forain’s time, while the assortment around it hints at varied social strata. I am reminded of the Roman Senate, where the toga similarly denoted rank. What is fascinating is how such signifiers morph across eras. Consider the Phrygian cap, once a symbol of freedom in ancient Phrygia, resurrected during the French Revolution, and now, subtly echoed in modern political garb. Here, the hats embody the collective psyche of a society, each brim and crown a repository of aspirations and anxieties, silently shaping the narrative of deliberation, of power, and of belonging.