-Chestnut- pillow c. 1910

This anonymous pillow at the Minneapolis Institute of Art is a real textural feast, isn't it? You can see the maker’s hand in every stitch, and I imagine them, patiently building up this surface. It's like they're carving the design out of fabric, a soft sculpture. The leaves and chestnuts are rendered in cream-colored fabric, with the faintest golden thread outlining everything. The background peeks through in subtle greens and browns, creating depth. There’s a real tension between flatness and depth. It's like the maker is playing with our perception, asking us to question what we see. It makes me think of all the unknown artists, mostly women I suppose, quietly working away, riffing on each other's ideas, and together building this massive, ongoing conversation through craft. This pillow whispers of that lineage, inviting us to join in, to add our own stitches to the story.