Why, Mary Ann, what are you doing out here 

Editor: So, here we have "Why, Mary Ann, what are you doing out here" by Arthur Rackham, in ink and drawing on paper. There’s such a dreamy quality to the line work, almost unsettling. What is your interpretation of this piece? Curator: Well, on one level it's an illustration from Alice in Wonderland, part of the broader cultural fascination with childhood innocence during that era. But I’m particularly struck by the rabbit figure. What power dynamics do you see reflected in a humanized animal interacting with a young girl in this natural setting? Editor: That's interesting, because I hadn't considered it in the context of power dynamics, more like a classic fairy tale setting. But now that you mention it, his dress does evoke certain social hierarchies. Curator: Exactly. Rackham was working at a time when Victorian social structures were starting to be questioned, and artists often used fantasy to explore anxieties about class and gender. Think about how Alice, though seemingly innocent, challenges established rules through her journey. Does the natural world seem welcoming here? Editor: Not really. It’s dark, a little overgrown and foreboding. Curator: And in that darkness, Rackham offers a symbolic space to reimagine social constraints and question dominant ideologies. What kind of conversation does this spark when you consider similar issues in our present? Editor: Wow, I never considered it that way. Now it feels much more than just a fantastical illustration, it is social commentary. Curator: Absolutely! By analyzing these kinds of images, we learn so much about the historical contexts in which they are created, and the dialogues about society that have been happening across generations.