The New Bonnet
Eastman Johnson American
During the 1870s Johnson found inspiration at his summer residence on the island of Nantucket, off the coast of Massachusetts. The once wealthy whaling port, filled with elegant Greek Revival houses and humble seaside cottages, drew artists in search of picturesque subjects seemingly set in a simpler time. In this Nantucket scene, a young woman shows off a new plumed and veiled hat in an old-fashioned kitchen. Johnson’s subtle but clear narrative contrasts the modest figures with the self-confident young woman, a fashionable consumer who seems to embody some of the cultural tensions of the centennial age.
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