The Rubens Hat 1875

James Tissot created "The Rubens Hat" using drypoint and etching, media well-suited to capturing the nuances of fashionable life in late 19th-century Paris. During this period, fashion served as a powerful marker of identity and social status, particularly for women. Tissot, a society painter, often depicted women in exquisite detail, focusing on their clothing and accessories. The elaborate hat in this print, adorned with ribbons and plumes, would have signaled the woman’s belonging to a certain class. There is, perhaps, a quiet tension in Tissot's work. Does he celebrate the artifice and beauty of Parisian society, or does he subtly critique its superficiality? The woman's averted gaze invites speculation. Is she lost in thought, or is she aware of being observed? The print leaves us pondering the complexities of identity, and the ways in which we use clothing to construct and project ourselves.