Doll c. 1936

This is a watercolour painting of a doll, made by Du Bois sometime between 1775 and 1875. It’s mostly done in shades of brown and pink, and you can almost see the artist dabbing the brush to create the stripes on the doll’s dress. I can imagine Du Bois carefully mixing the colours, trying to capture the soft, worn feel of the fabric. What were they thinking as they painted each stripe? The surface has a light touch, making it feel like the doll might float right off the page. And that head – it is such a strange dark shape. There’s a conversation happening here with folk art, and the way everyday objects can hold so much meaning. Painting is a form of embodied expression and that the rough edges and soft washes make the painting feel alive, like a memory. It leaves room for each of us to find something new in it.