Diaper Covers c. 1936

Gladys Cook made these diaper covers on paper with graphite, and they have a wonderfully domestic and utilitarian feel. I can imagine Gladys carefully rendering these covers, thinking through every pleat, seam, and button. The graphite on paper gives it such a soft, almost dreamlike quality. I find myself wondering about the lives these covers would have had, the babies they would have warmed and protected. There’s such care in the ruffles at the edges, and a little ‘tick’ shape to denote the closure. You can see another diaper cover at the top of the page, maybe Gladys sketched it in the pursuit of perfecting the design. It’s like she’s not just drawing clothes, but preserving a memory, a practice, or even a love letter to future makers. It just goes to show, creativity and beauty can be found in the most unexpected places.