‘Mopsa The Fairy’ by Jean Ingelow 1920

Curator: This artwork before us is titled ‘Mopsa The Fairy’ and it was created around 1920, a line drawing by Dorothy Lathrop rendered in ink on paper. Editor: Oh, it has such a beautifully eerie charm, almost like a memory floating up from the depths. It gives me the sensation of gazing into a dream. Curator: Lathrop illustrated many children’s books. Fairy tales and folklore are her usual motifs, blending a gentle style with detailed line-work. Notice how stark and how simple black and white becomes. Editor: Absolutely! And these motifs are heavily imbued with traditional symbol sets, look how they add so much more nuance here. Water imagery abounds - the fairy Mopsa afloat with her companion and dog within a crescent shaped craft whose prow bears a fish like image. And the creatures laboring below the surface... rowing with glowing wands. Curator: There's definitely a submerged world and it reminds me of what's left unspoken. Like a riddle or half remembered childhood song, this world asks you to step back into yourself to access what you innately already knew. Editor: In many cultural stories, crossing water signifies the threshold between worlds. What is fascinating, this drawing renders figures not typically paired or integrated-- fairy, human and dog...what story do they tell traveling together? Curator: It certainly feels like more than a boat ride. In this space between the waking and dreaming, a shared narrative emerges. I am reminded of my childhood walks in forests...this scene evokes a storybook, inviting the viewer in, so one could simply write out the unfolding narrative or allow it to fill your mind. Editor: The stark contrasts—the depth of black ink set against bright white spaces—creates an other-worldly mood and a certain timelessness to it. How are we to discern its hidden meanings? Perhaps the light isn't merely functional but symbolizes revelation... Maybe the creatures are protectors guiding them along their voyage! Curator: And with all those radiant beings below, I cannot help but think it is guiding a journey into one's inner self. Ultimately I think we are gently urged into realms unknown... Editor: Yes, Lathrop gifts us not just a pretty picture, but a quiet and personal prompting for meaning. It allows one to wonder what is carried onward into consciousness!