Portrait of Susanna Lunden, wearing wide-brimmed hat with feathers 1804 - 1839

Editor: So, this is Louis Philibert Debucourt’s “Portrait of Susanna Lunden, wearing wide-brimmed hat with feathers,” dating roughly from 1804 to 1839. It’s a print, an engraving, touched with watercolor, on paper. She looks rather confident, maybe even a little haughty. That hat is certainly something! What strikes you about this piece? Curator: The hat certainly draws the eye, doesn't it? But for me, it's about how the image constructs an identity through these carefully chosen details. Consider the feathers: feathers as symbols carry complex weight across cultures. Here they suggest status, obviously, but also lightness, even flightiness. The question then becomes, are we meant to see Susanna as embodying these qualities, or is the portrait commenting on the artificiality of constructing an identity through fashion? Editor: That's interesting! I hadn’t thought about it being a critique. So you’re saying the symbols might be doing more than just showing off wealth? Curator: Exactly. Look at the slight, almost imperceptible, smirk. Does that suggest awareness? The Romantics were fascinated by interiority, psychological depth. Are we seeing a playful acknowledgement of the performative aspects of portraiture itself? The dress, too, with the Neoclassical touches in the dress… each choice builds a narrative. How does the artist want us to read this woman? And how much of *her* own self is presented? Editor: It really changes how you see it when you start looking at those layers of meaning in the symbols. It’s not just a pretty picture; it’s a whole story. Curator: Precisely. And a conversation, across time, about image, identity, and how we present ourselves to the world. The artist leaves a cultural mirror to examine the continuity between her image and those who came later. Editor: That's a new perspective. I definitely see more in this portrait than I did initially! Thank you.