Ball Dress c. 1938

Nancy Crimi made this watercolor painting, titled "Ball Dress," at an unknown date. Here, a light blue ball gown is depicted with great attention to the ways the fabric falls and drapes. Crimi's choice of watercolor on paper is interesting, as it allows for the capture of the sheen and flow of silk, without actually working with the material itself. Historically, the making of garments like this was highly labor-intensive, involving skilled seamstresses who would have spent hours cutting, sewing, and fitting the dress to the wearer’s exact specifications. This watercolor could be seen, in a way, as a parallel form of labour, a kind of handwork dedicated to the rendering of a hand-fabricated object. By focusing on the meticulous craft involved in making clothing, Crimi elevates what might be considered a domestic skill to the level of fine art, challenging traditional hierarchies within the art world.