Dressing Table c. 1938

Charles Henning made this watercolor and graphite rendering of a dressing table, but we don't know when. This image invites us to reflect on the cultural significance of furniture in shaping domestic life and personal identity. Consider the implications of a dressing table – a site of preparation, presentation, and perhaps, even performance of self. Whose identity is reflected and reinforced by this kind of object? What rituals of gender and class are embedded in its design and use? What does it mean to make a picture of this table rather than the table itself? The dressing table represents not just a piece of furniture, but a stage upon which identities are crafted and negotiated. It encourages a consideration of the silent stories held within the objects that shape our lives.