Child's Trousers and Top 1935 - 1942

Esther Peck, born in 1855, produced this watercolor and graphite drawing called 'Child's Trousers and Top.' It's a costume design and it speaks to the social history of dress and theater. The image presents a blue jacket with decorative swirls, a ruffled collar, and white, puffed trousers. Theater at this time was a significant cultural institution, reflecting and shaping social values. Costume design, therefore, played a crucial role in conveying character and social status on stage. The formality of the clothing suggests a particular kind of play. It's likely that the costume design was for a specific production, possibly reflecting the fashions or historical periods that were popular on stage at the time. To fully understand its context, we would research theatrical productions from the late 19th or early 20th century, looking for details about the kinds of plays being produced and the social conventions they reflected or challenged. The history of theater gives us insight into this drawing.