Baby's Earring c. 1937

Tulita Westfall, born in 1855, created this piece titled 'Baby's Earring', though we don't know exactly when, or if it depicts an actual earring. Westfall was part of a generation of women artists who navigated a world where artistic expression was often filtered through societal expectations. Consider the idea of adornment and identity, especially for women and children, within the Victorian and later eras during Westfall's lifetime. Jewelry has long been a marker of status and belonging, but it's also deeply personal. An earring, especially one worn in infancy, speaks to the tenderness and vulnerability of early life. Does this image perpetuate a traditional narrative of domesticity and femininity, or does the simple line drawing hint at something more complex? Perhaps a quiet commentary on the weight of cultural expectations placed on even the youngest members of society? It invites us to reflect on the intimate connections between objects, memory, and identity.