3-079-851 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

The Barnacle Girl, c1919. A woman taking tea at the Café Royal in London. She wears fashionable attire of the first deacde of the 20th century, a 'hobble' skirt and elaborate hat. The "barnacle" reference is ambiguous. It could refer to the feathers on her hat which come from a barnacle (a type of wild goose). Alternatively, "barnacle" may mean that the woman is difficult to get rid of.