First Wednesday Art Talk – Degas, Impressionism and the Paris Millinery Trade

Posted by bonnie on 02 August 2017

DEGAS, IMPRESSIONISM and the PARIS MILLINERY TRADE

Docent Speaker: Virginia Ernster

Join us for a colorful exploration of a remarkable period in Paris, when the millinery trade was at its height and Impressionist painters captured the latest trends in hats.  From 1870 to 1914, one thousand milliners in the city created a rich array of hats, covered with silk flowers, ribbons, ostrich plumes and even whole birds.  Hats were fascinating to artists such as Edgar Degas, who appreciated the creativity and talent of the modistes who made them and reveled in depicting their sumptuous textures.  Featuring 60 Impressionist paintings and pastels, including key works by Degas, Renoir, Manet, Cassatt and Toulouse-Lautrec, along with 40 exquisite examples of period hats.

Now on view at the Legion of Honor, June 24 – September 24, 2017