Images carry within them a host of symbolic meanings. Through paintings from the permanent collection at FAM, this exhibition explores how class, social status, and character are embedded in our visual culture. Portraits contain symbolic objects that provide clues about the subject’s profession or personality, while activities of leisure and labor directly represent particular socioeconomic classes. Landscapes are more than a rendering of the natural environment; they reveal the status of individuals who are able to travel freely, or collective beliefs that reflect the growth, progress, or fears of a nation.