Shaker Doll 1935 - 1942

Editor: This is "Shaker Doll," a watercolor drawing made by Mary Fitzgerald sometime between 1935 and 1942. There's something hauntingly beautiful about this seemingly simple portrait. The doll’s fixed gaze is very striking. What symbols or ideas stand out to you? Curator: I find myself drawn to the doll's dress. The plaid pattern, a grid of intersecting lines, might symbolize order and structure – qualities valued within Shaker communities, right? But the red accents disrupt the blue, creating visual tension. Does that suggest something to you? Editor: Maybe a bit of individuality poking through the rigid structure? The red stands out so vividly. Curator: Precisely! Think of folk art traditions where specific colors and patterns hold deeper significance. Beyond aesthetics, are these perhaps symbolic of Shaker values or family ties? The doll’s materiality—it's hand-crafted nature— speaks to me about cherished objects and cultural inheritance within communities. Have you looked at the tiny brown shoes, and the way her hair is painted? Editor: That’s a great point; there’s a real sense of care and attention in those details that would suggest sentimental value. Curator: And notice her gaze – distant, perhaps melancholic. Is this doll merely an object, or does it hold some memory? Consider the Shakers’ emphasis on simplicity, craftsmanship, and the role of women within their communities. Does this watercolor, through the enduring image of this doll, perhaps reflect their story, and, by extension, ours? Editor: I hadn’t thought of the melancholy aspect before, or of the doll as holding onto a memory. It really transforms the piece for me. Curator: Visual symbols echo and reverberate over time. We learn so much when we stop and listen!