Little Red Riding Hood 1887

Curator: Let’s turn our attention to "Little Red Riding Hood," an etching and print crafted in 1887 by William Langson Lathrop. Editor: Immediately, there’s an overwhelming sense of foreboding despite the pastoral setting. The starkness of the medium, the scratchy lines… it conjures unease. Curator: Indeed, Lathrop here provides an interesting intersection of genre-painting, drawing, and fairytale narrative. Note how the artist layers the familiar narrative elements. The wolf, the grandmother, even the symbolic geese are rendered above the scene as almost premonitory stills. Editor: It’s intriguing how the central figure, seemingly Little Red Riding Hood herself, is positioned almost within the artwork rather than as the primary focus. She's visually sunken, dominated by the foliage and, I find, rather anonymized. It's as if the narrative outweighs her individuality. Curator: The positioning within the field raises questions about power dynamics, doesn’t it? Who holds agency in this story and this rendering of the story? One must consider the history of children in art in the 19th century and the evolving perceptions of innocence. It all feels deliberate. Editor: And it works quite effectively. The etching medium contributes, certainly, as well. Notice the lack of strong tonal contrasts. It's visually unified and understated. This forces you, visually, to make your way from those stills down into this scene where the protagonist—or, perhaps, more correctly the object of the plot—is gathering flowers. It gives a sense of inevitable doom. Curator: Precisely, we must question how societal norms regarding femininity, childhood, and storytelling play out through the visual language Lathrop employs. Are we viewing a straightforward depiction, or is the artist commenting on something more profound within the cultural landscape of his time? It compels one to consider broader implications. Editor: Agreed. On my end, it invites me to reflect upon the inherent qualities of the work. I remain struck by Lathrop's delicate handling of line and how it lends itself so aptly to such grim content. It seems that this formal choice lends a sense of visual and metaphorical coherence to the scene. Curator: Lathrop truly presents us with so much in one seemingly simple image. Editor: Absolutely. An engaging piece, rich with complexities on multiple levels.