Baby Dress c. 1939

Manuel G. Runyan rendered this baby dress with watercolor and graphite, preserving it in meticulous detail. The garment evokes the Victorian era, when expectations around gender and class were coded into the very fabric of daily life. This dress acts as a signifier of innocence and purity. Garments like these were more than mere clothing; they were a form of cultural inscription, setting the stage for the roles women were expected to fulfill. Consider the labor involved in creating such a delicate item, typically by women whose work was often undervalued. The whiteness of the dress, far from being neutral, speaks to aspirations of cleanliness and respectability. It invites us to reflect on the complex interplay of identity, labor, and social expectation embedded in such a seemingly simple object.