In Catalonia and Ibiza, men wore barretinas until the 19th century, especially in rural areas. Even in the 1940s and the 1950s, children in rural areas still commonly wore it.
Country and small village life late 1940s and early 1950s, Catalan children, wearing barretines
It took the form of a bag, made of wool, usually red, or sometimes purple.
Today, the barretina is no longer commonly worn in everyday life, but is still used in traditional dances, or as a symbol of Catalan identity. A watercolor image dated 1885 of a seller of newspapers (private collection) is perhaps one of the most iconic Catalan images, as it portrays a weathered man standing resolute, new independent newspapers falling from his portable wooden box, a look of tolerance and endurance in his face, while all the while wearing his barretina proudly.
"The Newspaper Seller", unknown artist, 1885. Early social and symbolic Catalan independence painting
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