Figurehad: "Solomon Piper" c. 1936

Ingrid Selmer-Larsen made this watercolor titled 'Figurehad: "Solomon Piper"' at an unknown date. The title gives us an important clue: this isn’t necessarily a portrait of a man named Solomon Piper, but of a figurehead representing that man. The image depicts a bust in the neoclassical style. The man wears a military-style jacket with a high collar, and his hair is neatly combed. These visual codes suggest this is a man of status, likely associated with the navy, given that figureheads adorned ships. Selmer-Larsen’s clean, precise style lends a sense of objectivity, as if documenting a historical artifact. But what does it mean to represent a man as a figurehead? It speaks to the social conditions that shape artistic production. It may allude to the role of individuals as symbols, perhaps in the context of naval power. To learn more, we could consult historical records of naval figureheads, or study the artist’s biography and other works, to better understand the socio-political context of the time.