Girl's head 

Dora Hitz captured this girl's head with delicate strokes of color pencil on paper. The girl's updo is a loaded signifier. Hairstyles, like any form of adornment, serve as powerful, non-verbal cues. Throughout history, we see elaborate hairstyles used as symbols of status and identity. From ancient Egyptian wigs to the towering wigs of the 18th-century French court, hair has been sculpted to convey messages of power and belonging. Think, for instance, of the women portrayed by Botticelli, their cascading waves reminiscent of the goddess Venus, embodying beauty and abundance. Here, the girl's simply styled hair might reflect the values of her time, perhaps pointing to a shift towards more natural aesthetics, or indicating the social class she belongs to. The girl's gaze, innocent yet knowing, beckons us into a world of fleeting youth, a poignant reminder of time’s relentless passage. The hairstyle is but a moment captured, a symbol of an era, forever imprinted on the collective psyche.