Wedding Dress c. 1936

Marie Mitchell’s ‘Wedding Dress’ drawing presents a flatly rendered design on paper with graphite and colored pencil. I’m looking at the drawing of a dress, and a ghost of another dress behind it, like a memory, or a thought. I can imagine Mitchell sketching away, dreaming up a gown. What was she thinking about when she made this? I mean, did she have someone in mind? The colors are delicate, like those little candies, almost edible. And the floral pattern—a garden on a dress—is so charming. It reminds me of folk art, that kind of handmade beauty. Maybe Mitchell wasn't just designing a dress, but also dreaming up a whole world of possibilities, a painterly vision. It’s as if she was in a conversation with all the artists who’ve ever dreamed with a pencil in hand.