Woman Pushing Carriage 

Charles Demuth made this sketch of a woman pushing a carriage with pencil on paper. The image, made in the United States, depicts a woman from behind, pushing a baby carriage, her hand raised in an ambiguous gesture. As a visual record, such an image gestures towards everyday urban experiences in the early 20th century. Social changes are often marked in the public sphere of cities. Demuth might ask us to consider the changing role of women during his time. We might wonder if she is trying to flag down a taxi, or is she hailing a friend? What does it mean to show this person from behind, without her face? Understanding such an image means knowing something about the artist's other work, his social circle, and the exhibition culture of the time. The historian uses these traces to reconstruct the cultural significance of art.