A close study of two works of art provides the introduction to this cross-curricular writing assignment. After comparing the clothing, facial expressions, body language, setting, and color in the two 19th century paintings Tissout’s Portrait of the Marquise de Miramon and Degas’ The Milliners, young writers craft a narrative from the perspective of one of the women depicted in the paintings. As an extension, class members create their own hat to wear.<