Dress c. 1936

This watercolour, ‘Dress’ by Roberta Spicer, is a simple yet intriguing image. It shows a Regency-era dress in muted green tones, with a square neckline and long sleeves, and alongside it is a fainter sketch of another dress. I imagine Spicer, born in 1855, carefully building up the layers of watercolour to capture the fabric’s texture and the dress’s form. The precision of the lines suggests a background in design, or perhaps just a love for detail. It reminds me of the quiet concentration I feel when I’m working on a painting, carefully layering colours and forms. The choice of watercolour gives the image a soft, almost ethereal quality, making you think about the passage of time and the delicate nature of memory. I wonder if the artist was considering how styles change, and the way we hold onto these images of the past. This piece speaks to me of history, craft, and the beauty of everyday objects.