Pa. German Toy Stamping Mill 1935 - 1942

Frances Lichten made this watercolor painting of a Pa. German Toy Stamping Mill with watercolor on paper. Look at these soft, almost blurry, wooden parts, all rendered in delicate watercolor washes. You can imagine Lichten carefully building up the layers, each stroke a gentle caress of pigment on paper. It's like she’s whispering the form into existence. There’s this wonderful intimacy here. Lichten must have held and turned the original toy in her hands. What was she thinking when she painted it? Did she want to capture a childhood memory, or celebrate the folk art traditions of her region? Perhaps she was interested in the design of the toy itself. This work feels connected to the art of Marsden Hartley and Charles Demuth, who also explored American folk traditions. It shows us how artists are always looking, learning, and finding new ways to see.