Doll - "Rose Bates" 1935 - 1942

Josephine Romano made this doll portrait, "Rose Bates," with watercolor, probably on paper. I imagine her mixing the right hues of pink and blue, building up the layers of her sitter's frilly bonnet and patterned coat. I wonder, was she commissioned to make this? Did she know Rose Bates? What did she think about this girl dressed up as a doll? I can almost see Romano dabbing the paint to create the texture of the coat, giving the whole garment a lovely density. It's so interesting that she chose to focus on the clothing; the actual girl seems almost like a blank canvas. The doll-like figure feels suspended in time, but grounded by the shadow at the base of the dress. Romano, like many artists, looked to the world around her, but also to the art of the past. This doll is a reminder that artists are always in conversation across time. I imagine Romano looking at the art from the past and thinking, "I can do that too, but in my own way."