Frontspiece for Cinderella and the Glass Slipper 1854

Editor: This is George Cruikshank's "Frontspiece for Cinderella and the Glass Slipper," currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. It feels like peeking into a miniature theater, but what strikes me most is how the story is framed, almost literally. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Ah, it's a portal, isn't it? Cruikshank invites us to witness the hearthside magic through this playful, proscenium-like frame. I'm drawn to the clock perched above, pumpkin-flanked and frozen at eleven. Do you think it's meant to signal just before the spell breaks, or perhaps the eternal suspension of disbelief within the story itself? It's as if time itself is enchanted. Editor: I hadn’t thought of it that way, the clock as a pause button on reality! Curator: Exactly! And the grotesque faces adorning the frame? They remind me of the duality of fairy tales – the enchanting and the slightly unsettling, all rolled into one. It's a world where beauty and beastliness dance together, don't you think? Editor: I think it’s a fantastic point, I will keep that in mind!