Dress Trimming c. 1939

Herbert Marsh made this watercolour and graphite 'Dress Trimming', and it's a real beauty! I’m drawn to how Marsh meticulously builds the forms with tiny marks. It’s like he’s thinking through the image, stroke by stroke, adjusting and refining. Look at the lacy edges, the way each scallop is rendered with such care. And then your eyes move towards the floral patterns with their layered oranges, reds and yellows. Marsh is doing something interesting with the texture – it almost feels as though you could reach out and touch the delicate weave of the fabric or feel the raised embroidery. It reminds me a little of the work of textile designers like William Morris, but there's something more intimate, more tender, in Marsh’s rendering. The piece feels like a quiet meditation on beauty, inviting us to slow down and really see the world around us.