Infant's Shirt c. 1937

Mary E. Humes painted this infant's shirt with watercolor and graphite. The shirt, trimmed with delicate lace, evokes a sense of innocence. In Western art, white, as seen here, has long been associated with purity and new beginnings. Interestingly, the image of draped cloth itself appears in various guises throughout history. Consider the veils of antiquity or the shrouds of the Renaissance—they all speak to layers of concealment and revelation. The shirt suggests vulnerability and protection. Garments bear the marks of identity. What is concealed and revealed by this infantile garment? What memories do such cloths awaken? The shirt is rendered with an emotional power that speaks to the heart of human experience: the universal need to protect innocence. Like a talisman, the artist captures the power of the cloth to comfort and evoke the eternal cycle of life and memory.