Dress c. 1936

Julie C. Brush created this watercolor and graphite drawing of a dress. At first glance, this may simply appear to be a design for a beautiful, floral dress, but it speaks to the social conditions that shape artistic production. Consider the time it was made. Brush was born in 1855, a time when women's roles in the art world were often limited to crafts and design, rather than fine art. The choice of a dress as a subject matter can be seen as a reflection of those limitations, but it can also be read as a subtle commentary on the social expectations placed on women. Floral patterns and delicate colors were often associated with femininity, and the dress, while beautiful, might also represent the constraints of gender roles. In order to understand it better, one could research the artist's life and the artistic institutions of her time. Art is not just about aesthetics, but is deeply embedded in social and institutional contexts.