Doll - "Hepzibah" c. 1939

Josephine Romano made this design for a doll named "Hepzibah" using watercolors on paper. It's such a delicate rendering, almost like a fashion plate. The way the colours are laid down makes me think about the act of applying make up: a light, careful touch. The most striking thing about this piece is the dress, that orangey colour. It’s like a ripe fruit, but the texture is constructed from these tiny hatched lines, a bit like a weaving or a cross-stitch pattern. You can almost feel the texture of the fabric! It is interesting to compare the treatment of the dress with the face. I wonder what effect Romano wanted to create. This piece reminds me of other artists like Florine Stettheimer, who played with similar themes of fashion, femininity, and theatricality in her work. With this drawing, Romano takes us into a world of imagination and dress-up.