This iconic photo was taken by her daughter Leann Shamash, a Boston-based artist and educator who came to see the incredible beauty that shined through when her mom wore hats.

Her show, “Irma G: A Century of Hats and Spirit,” is on display at the gallery at Mayyim Hayyim this fall, and it’s an opportunity to see the many faces of Irma. 

I’ve known Leann since the early days of this project, so I asked her to share a bit of the story behind these photos.

What prompted you to take photos of your mother in these hats?

I was a participant in the Griffin Museum’s Atelier program, where photographers build a body of work over the course of months, resulting in a group show at the Griffin Museum in Winchester. I actually decided on the spur of the moment to do the hat project. I had never done a portfolio-building program before and decided to work on photos of my mom in hats of the 20th and 21st centuries, as my mom had just turned 95. I was visiting her every day and this gave us something to do together. She loved the attention and I loved taking her photos! I had no idea how my mom would absolutely blossom in front of a camera.

How did you select the hats? Why are they meaningful?

I borrowed most of the hats from friends at Congregation Beth Elohim in Acton. Some were borrowed from a theater company, one was knit by a friend and other friends had super interesting hats in their closets that they kindly lent to me. Later on in the project, my mom and I went to the Salmagundi Hat store in Jamaica Plain, and they allowed me to photograph her in hats at their store.

What do you love most about these photos? 

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There are many things I love. I loved the process, I loved how my mom felt good about herself and shared the photos with others. I loved that my mom actually got to attend the openings and artist talks at a few locations while she was still alive. I love what I learned, and that’s why I still show the photos. I think it took me time to understand that the elderly have stories and wish to be seen. They are more than their wrinkles, more than their age spots. They still want to be a part of life, not just checked on to make sure they are feeling OK. The process brought my mom to a place she hadn’t gone before. It made her a storyteller. It allowed her to grow and blossom at the age of 95. 

Also, there are many people who have older family members suffering from dementia, and this project, in some small way, can give people who are watching their own parents age and sometimes suffer from this disease a chance to smile. Last, most of us have mothers, and I believe that people can relate to these images in a personal way.

What do you hope we, the viewers, might take away?

To make an effort to sit down with elderly relatives. You don’t need a hat to coax a story from a person who is alone in the world. We all have stories to share, young and old. As our lives empty out as we age, the stories are still there. I want these images to remind people to take the time to see, to notice, to ask and to listen. That would mark this project as a success. Also, beauty illuminates from within, and in this day, where so many labor to look younger, beauty is ageless, no matter the wrinkles, the errant hairs, the age spots.

Don’t miss the show, on display at Mayyim Hayyim through the year, with gallery hours on Dec. 3 from 5:30-7 p.m.

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