Three Manning Children, Norwichtown, Connecticut, 1750, 1753, 1759 1963

Editor: Here we have Ann Parker’s “Three Manning Children, Norwichtown, Connecticut, 1750, 1753, 1759.” The print is intriguing; the figures seem almost otherworldly with their stylized faces and wings. How do you interpret this work? Curator: It whispers of early American folk art, doesn’t it? I imagine Parker, perhaps self-taught, wrestling with conveying both likeness and something…more. There's a directness in the gazes, wouldn't you say? Almost as if they're peering from another realm. Editor: I see what you mean. It's a far cry from formal portraiture. Curator: Precisely! It’s a raw, honest representation that invites us to think about mortality, memory, and how we choose to remember those who have passed on. Editor: I never considered it that way. This really opened my eyes. Curator: Mine too. It’s these quiet pieces that often speak the loudest, isn’t it?