Young Woman Trying on a Hat

'Young Woman Trying on a Hat,' painted by Vuillard around 1900, captures a moment from the domestic feminine world he observed so persistently—the ritual of dressing, specifically the trying-on of a hat before a mirror or in front of a companion. Hat selection was a significant social act for women of the bourgeoisie, and the moment of trying on combined self-presentation with self-scrutiny. Vuillard's interest in this subject connects to his broader engagement with women's domestic activity—sewing, reading, arranging flowers, and the performance of femininity within the private sphere. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts holds the work.

The composition focuses on the woman and the hat, with the surrounding interior serving as the patterned environment in which the figure is both situated and partially absorbed. Vuillard's handling of the millinery—its structure, ornament, and the way it frames the face—tests his capacity for decorative precision.