China Headed Doll 1935 - 1942

Editor: So, here we have William Paul Childers' "China Headed Doll," a watercolor and drawing made sometime between 1935 and 1942. The first thing I notice is the whiteness, a kind of ghostly quality about the whole figure. What are your initial thoughts looking at this piece? Curator: My immediate reaction concerns the doll's dress itself, and how the artist meticulously rendered the fabric's texture. Look at the material; the layering, the visible weave. Think about the labor involved, both in the original production of the cloth and then its translation through Childers’ process. We're presented with a mediation on materials rather than merely an illustration of childhood. Editor: Mediation? Interesting! Could you say more? The doll itself looks so fragile, like a prized possession. Curator: Indeed. Consider this: watercolors, often dismissed as a 'lesser' medium, were frequently employed for domestic crafts and hobbies, notably by women. Childers, by using watercolor, embraces the aesthetics associated with domesticity and challenges art historical hierarchies by presenting this doll. Think also about the concept of 'play'—the child ‘plays’ with the doll; Childers ‘plays’ with media and traditions. Editor: So you're saying the choice of watercolor, along with the subject matter, isn't accidental? Curator: Precisely! It speaks to a conscious engagement with the devaluation of certain materials and practices. It elevates something we might see as trivial. Where does value truly lie in this depiction: in the supposed skill, the art itself, or in the object the artwork is trying to show? Editor: I hadn't thought about it that way. It reframes the artwork to show a picture of labor, gender, class, as much as a portrait of this doll! Curator: Exactly. We move past simple representation and into a commentary on value and production. Editor: I definitely have a new appreciation for Childers' "China Headed Doll." It seems to invite conversations that go beyond a child’s toy.