A Little Boy Lost 1920

Dorothy Lathrop made “A Little Boy Lost” with what looks like watercolor, or maybe gouache, and it’s got this dreamy, ethereal quality. It's like a half-remembered scene from a play. The surface is matte, absorbent. The color palette is all peaches and lilacs, which gives it this otherworldly glow. It reminds me a bit of Arthur Rackham, that illustrative story-book vibe. But Lathrop has her own touch. Look at the little boy. He's just sitting there, and everyone else is caught up in pulling this crazy chariot. There’s a real stillness, a quiet focus that contrasts with the rest of the scene. It's as though he has a secret. What I love about this piece is the ambiguity. It’s not trying to tell you one thing. It's much more like a feeling. A feeling of being lost, or maybe found, in a world of make-believe. And that’s what makes it so compelling, this openness.