Doll's Cradle and Quilt c. 1953

Margaret Linsley made this delightful watercolor, Doll’s Cradle and Quilt, using thin washes on paper. Can you imagine her, brush in hand, carefully rendering the wooden frame? I bet she had her own doll's cradle as a little girl, and that her memory guided the making of this picture. The way she meticulously painted each little square of the quilt is so tender, so sweet. Notice how the squares are not uniform, but each one is slightly wonky, giving the impression of something handmade, something made with love. I wonder if, as she was creating, she thought about the many hands that had rocked and cared for generations of children. It makes you think about the simple acts of care and creativity that shape our lives. And aren't paintings just like that? Little containers of feeling and memory, rocking us gently through time.