Puppet: "Judy" c. 1937

Editor: This is Dorothy Brennan's "Puppet: 'Judy'", created around 1937, using watercolor. The image is both charming and a bit unsettling, I think; her face and stance are so...stiff. What do you see in this piece, Professor? Curator: I see a layered narrative. We're presented with a "Judy" puppet, but the social context surrounding puppets, particularly female representations, is significant. Consider the history of puppetry, often a form of social commentary permitted because it's "just a puppet." Editor: Interesting! It also has a dark, almost theatrical quality. Curator: Exactly! This isn’t simply a child’s toy, but a character embodying something more. Does her exaggerated makeup, that insistent red, remind you of anything specific? Think about performative femininity and how women were often pressured to present themselves in very specific ways. Editor: The red cheeks and lips do give her an almost clown-like feel. So, maybe the puppet, "Judy", is representing an exaggerated form of femininity at the time? Almost like a caricature? Curator: Precisely! And who is controlling this image, this performance? Brennan, the artist, is assigning agency to a traditionally voiceless object. Do you think Brennan is making a statement on the expectations placed on women in the 1930s? Editor: That gives me a totally different perspective. Now I see Judy less as a cute object and more as a commentary on social pressures. It's powerful when you think of it that way. Curator: It’s these layers, the unearthing of social and historical dialogues, that make art so resonant, wouldn’t you agree? Editor: Absolutely. Thanks, Professor. I'll never look at a puppet the same way again!