Last week the official Bridgerton social media accounts released the first teaser poster for the upcoming season. The teaser poster did not include release dates as many suspected, (though they were leaked by the end of the week thanks to Netflix Netherlands). The poster features Sophie standing on a balcony with her back to the camera holding her mask behind her back, the colour of the sky in the background suggests it is dusk, or sunset. So let's break this down.
Image Credit: Netflix
Sophie: Sophie is centred in the image, and dominates the poster without overpowering it, however it is not a full length picture of Sophie with the focus being on the dress (and Mask). Sophie is in the silver dress she wears to the Masquerade, holding the matching mask. In the books Sophie wears an old dress of her mother's in a Georgian style, however, for the show her dress is rooted in the Regency period, the mask on the other hand appears to have taken inspiration from Masquerade masks of the late Georgian period which covered more of the face than those from the Regency period. Does this mean that instead of her dress being from her mother the show is going with teh idea that she wears a mask that belonged to her mother?
The mask behind Sophie's back symbolises secrecy and concealement, but the fact she is holding it and not wearing it suggests that she will eventually be 'unmasked' as the Lady in Silver, and her true identity will be known and no longer concealed.
The surroundings:
Sophie is standing on a balcony, this looks to be a nod to the books where Sophie and Benedict's tryst on the night of the Masquerade took place. But we also see the Wisteria associated with Bridgerton, however, some petals are falling from the flower which reflects the idea of this season being set in Autumn rather than Spring/Summer. We also see white roses, and a closer look at the roses shows they are in the last stages of their blooms, and the leaves look to be starting to turn yellow/brown, reinforcing that this season will be set in Autumn.
Wisteria symbolises love, romance and longevity, but it also has specific meanings in Asian culture. In China it is believed to bring good luck and happiness, and in Korea it represents devotion. The White Rose symbolises innocence and purity, and additionally in Korean culture it represents respect, but also new beginnings. However, these flowers are wilting and this does change their meanings slightly, but they do not bring meaning of death or endings as one might expect, but rather hope. The wilting, or dying, Wisteria, which has the meaning of devotion in Korea when in bloom, carries this symbolism through as it wilts where it means a devotion that transcends death, but more generally a wilting Wisteria can also be seen as a testament to the ability of the heart to endure, thus giving hope, something that resonates with Sophie's story. The wilting white rose however, can shift the meaning to the realities of loss and endings. The meanings behind these flowers being in the poster resonate, not only with Sophie's story, but with the story of Benedict and Sophie.
It is interesting to note that the only other poster to include the Wisteria flower so prominently was for Daphne and Simon's season where the flower was in full bloom representing love and romance, whilst for this poster it is dying, which shifts its meaning to resonate with the story to be told in season 4.
Final Thoughts:
I like this poster, the colours of the sunset in the background and the softer colours of the flowers are beautiful and give an almost ethereal feel to the poster. The centring of Sophie, but with the focus on her gown and not her, really pulls the person viewing this into the fairytale feel of the story.
