Long Branch, from the Fancy Bathers series (N187) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1889

Editor: Here we have "Long Branch, from the Fancy Bathers series," created around 1889 by Wm. S. Kimball & Co., using colored pencil, and print. The figure almost seems theatrical. What formal qualities jump out at you? Curator: The artist uses a restricted palette: blue, pink, and brown define the image, yet with sufficient variation to articulate the form of the bather against a textured sea and sky. The composition's structure seems defined by the contrast between the figure's striped costume and the soft-focus background. Do you notice how the lines of her bathing suit direct the eye upwards to her face? Editor: I see what you mean! The stripes are definitely a strong element. What about the textures? The surface almost seems stippled or pointillist. Curator: Precisely. That's an artifact of the printing process, but also contributes to the image’s dynamism. See, too, how the figure's contrapposto stance is countered by the gesture of her hands at her brow, perhaps shielding her eyes. This tension is key. There is something interesting in this figure, where are looking, what is expecting from the viewer or from a ship faraway? Editor: So, the dynamic composition and tension you describe gives what to the meaning, could that affect our understanding of the image itself? Curator: Without question. The interplay of texture, color, line and balance determines the image's mood. Kimball is using very careful methods, despite the media use or its cultural position at the time. I note also, it uses a color lithography, allowing its broad appeal, something key in our modern semiotic view. Editor: That's fascinating. I'm looking at this in a whole new light now. I'm going to think about that tension a bit more! Curator: As will I. Considering formal structure leads us closer to content.