Rag Doll 1935 - 1942

Curator: This watercolor and colored pencil drawing, simply titled "Rag Doll," was crafted by Erwin Stenzel sometime between 1935 and 1942. What's your initial take? Editor: An immediate pang of melancholy. It’s strangely…defenseless. Those stitched eyes gaze but don't quite see. Curator: Yes, there’s a starkness. It’s both endearing and slightly unsettling, wouldn't you say? Notice how Stenzel, known for his portraits, imbued the doll with a peculiar dignity. Editor: Dignity is a great word! I was stuck on its potential for resilience. The crudeness of the sewing becomes a testament to love or, at least, some form of intense care. I’m curious about the folk symbology here...are we looking at a guardian figure, a poppet perhaps? The eyes especially... Curator: The button eyes are, undeniably, piercing, as are the rough stitches marking the doll's mouth, as if it cannot voice the very history woven into it. But, also note the floral pattern on her top which feels almost comforting. It lightens the tone ever so slightly. Editor: The flowers remind us of transience, the cycle of life and decay! A Memento Mori hiding in plain sight. Even children at play grapple with mortality, subconsciously imbuing toys with their unspoken anxieties. But I suppose Stenzel could simply have appreciated pretty fabrics too! Curator: I find myself wondering who owned this doll. What were their hopes and fears during those tumultuous years? It's amazing how Stenzel manages to ask such intimate questions about its existence, isn’t it? Editor: Absolutely. An object made profound because it carries secrets from one era to the next, visible in every frayed edge and mismatched button. The charm is that you start wondering what secrets this innocuous image may contain.