Daughters of the Stars, by Mary Crary 

Edmund Dulac created "Daughters of the Stars" as an illustration, steeped in the Orientalist artistic movement of the early 20th century, which romanticized and often exoticized non-Western cultures. The image presents us with celestial women draped in starry robes, evoking both a sense of mystery and an idealized vision of femininity. The women below gaze upwards, perhaps longing for connection with the divine. The image could be reflecting the period's fascination with spiritualism and the cosmos, yet it also presents a gendered lens through which the heavens are populated by female figures. "Daughters of the Stars" invites us to reflect on how cultural fantasies shape our understanding of identity. Does the piece challenge or reinforce the traditional roles assigned to women? What emotions are stirred by these cosmic figures? Through its symbolic and ethereal imagery, the artwork prompts an exploration of the complex interplay between gender, culture, and our place in the universe.