Good Housekeeping Magazine cover 1924

This is a Good Housekeeping Magazine cover by Jessie Willcox Smith. I can imagine her standing at her easel, brush in hand, carefully building up the layers of color in the children's clothes. Just look at that red! It makes me think about the artist’s hand, her concentration, and her desire to communicate a feeling of nostalgia. I bet Smith was thinking about her own childhood while she was painting this. I think a lot about how painters are always in conversation with each other, across time. We are always inspired and inspiring. The texture is so smooth, so different from the rough energy you sometimes see, say, in a Joan Brown painting. But it is still a world of labor. Smith is capturing a feeling, but also documenting a way of life, and a moment in time. I love the way she embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations and meanings.