Doll with China Head c. 1941

J. Herman McCollum made this watercolor and graphite on paper. Just look at the delicate plaid of the dress, and the little hat sitting nearby! I’m imagining McCollum in his studio, carefully building up the layers of color to capture the doll’s fabric. Maybe he chose this doll in particular because it held some significance for him? Perhaps it was his daughter’s or his sister’s? There’s something so touching in the way that this painter has rendered every detail of the doll's costume, from the ruffles to the ribbons. It’s almost as if the doll is a person, or a precious memory. Making a painting can be a way of preserving something that is important to you. I think that artists throughout time have always found ways to express their love and affection for the people and things that matter to them.