Portrait of Suzanne Valadon, by Henri de Toulouse Lautrec (1885)

Technique: oil on canvas / Measures: 55 x 46 cm

MNBA

The woman with the hat, as painted by Toulouse Lautrec, is Suzanne Valadon, a French artist. Her real name was Marie-Clémentine Valade. She was born on September 23rd, 1867, in Bessines-sur-Gartempe but was in Paris on April 7th, 1938, when she died. 

As all women in the 19th century, she uses a hat with her day clothes. Hats became taller around those days and the decorations and details on them reflected the social status of the lady. Artists and painters of that time payed special attention when depicting women clothing as synonym of Modernity. Impressionists as Degas and Manet enjoyed painting fabrics and hats with utmost detailing.

The rehersal in the choir loft, by Henry Lerolle (1885)

Technique: oil on canvas / Measures: 101 x 152 cm

(Private collection)

In the painting above, the young woman carries a hat and a similar outfit to that in Toulouse Lautrec's work. Both painting were executed in the same year and reflect the importance of being à la mode: both wear a long-neck black dress, tight around the waist.

This time in History, in which artists are drawn to detailing, marked also the birth of the first department stores. Women bought their shoes, hats and accessories to pair with their dresses. Hats were only on exhibition and were custom-made upon request. As years went by, hats became taller and included decorations with colour ribbons. Le Moniteur de la Mode captures those new trends in its pages, dedicated to the wealthier women in society. 

Portrait of a woman, by Jacques-Emile Blanche (1887)

(Also known as Portrait of Madame Henri Wallet)

Technique: pastels on canvas / Measures: 129 x 64 cm

Musée d'Orsay - Paris

In the portrait of this woman we see how the hat begins to shift in what would later be known as "bonnet". Notice how high it has become and the fabric flowers. Madame Wallet's posing position enhances the excessive volume of the clothing. The artist payed special care in depicting the details and textures of the large skirt. 

Black was a common colour for daywear by the end of the 19th century and foretells the chicness of Coco Chanel's designs... 

"Scheherezade is easy, the little black dress is difficult."

Coco Chanel

If you happen to visit New York (till May 26th)... stop by the MET to visit the exhibition  "Impressionism, Fashion & Modernity," where you'll be able to see great masterpieces of Impressionism, together with the dresses (specially restored for the occasion) that have inspired the artists.

In the Conservatory (Madame Bartholomé), by Albert Bartholomé (1881)

Technique: oil on canvas / Measures: 233 x 142.5 cm

Lent for the exhibition by the Musée d'Orsay - Paris.