"Mother Goose" marionette c. 1939

Rose Campbell-Gerke crafted this watercolor of a "Mother Goose" marionette. Note the figure's floral dress, a symbol of nature's transient beauty, juxtaposed with the wizened face and cane, emblems of age and mortality. Mother Goose, traditionally an old woman, resonates with archetypes like the crone, a figure who appears across cultures from Baba Yaga to ancient Greek goddesses. Consider how these figures wield both wisdom and a connection to the darker, hidden aspects of life. Even the roses, symbols of love and beauty, are tinged with melancholy, recalling the ephemeral nature of life, a "memento mori." This image, in its quaint simplicity, taps into a deep well of shared human experience. The artist engages us in a dialogue with our collective memories, revealing the cyclical nature of life.