Quaker Doll c. 1940

Charlotte Angus made this quiet little watercolor of a Quaker doll, painted on paper sometime in the 20th century. You can see her subtle hand in the careful application of pigment. It feels like she wasn’t trying to capture a likeness of the doll so much as its spirit. I can imagine Charlotte patiently mixing her paints, testing each shade to match the doll’s aged fabric, or the gentle curve of her bonnet. There is a subdued, intimate quality to the work, like a visual poem expressing the essence of simplicity and modesty. The limited palette contributes to a sense of harmony and serenity, each shade carefully chosen to evoke a feeling of calm contemplation. Works like this remind us that artists are always in dialogue with one another, across generations. It is an exchange of ideas, inspiring each other to see the world in new ways, embracing ambiguity and openness to multiple readings.