Woman wearing a hat

About this artwork

Research in Progress

Art Historical Context

**Woman Wearing a Hat** Created in 1845 by French artist de Goncourt (0–1870), *Woman Wearing a Hat* is delicate print that captures mid-19th-century elegance At just 15 years old he made this work, de Gourt was emerging in France's dynamic art world, a time when printmaking flourished as an accessible medium for portraying fashion, portraits, and daily life. Prints like this one allowed images to reach wider audiences beyond oil paintings reserved for the wealthy, reflecting the era's growing middle-class interest in personal style. Housed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Smithsonian Collection and generously gifted by Edmond C. Bonaventure, this piece highlights a woman in a fashionable hat—a nod to the elaborate millinery trends of the 1840s, influenced by Romantic ideals of beauty and individuality. The classification as a print underscores its technical craft, likely involving etching or lithography, which demanded precision to convey subtle textures and expressions. Though research on this artwork continues, it offers a window into de Goncourt's early career and the cultural snapshot of Second Empire precursors in France, inviting visitors to appreciate how everyday adornments became subjects of artistic intrigue.